EApproximately two-thirds of German people fear the division of society and related conflicts. This is the result of a special study by R+V Insurance with regard to the political situation in Germany and the world. The insurance company, which annually polls people in Germany about their fears, conducted a special survey in February about political worries. A total of 1,000 citizens were surveyed online.
Therefore, there is a growing concern about people drifting apart. In the summer of 2023, 50 percent of those surveyed said yes to the statement “I am afraid that the division in society will increase and lead to conflicts”, now it is 66 percent. This fear was first asked last year. “In Germany, we have long observed a certain divergence into different social camps, for example between left-right, poor-rich or urban-rural,” says Isabelle Borucki, professor of political science and consultant to the study. By 16 percentage points in less than one year. “Now, with their attacks on democracy, the far-right is fueling the fear of even deeper divisions.”
The fear of the spread of political extremism has grown even more clearly. 59 percent of Germans answered this question clearly in the affirmative. The follow-up question asked about the type of extremism. Multiple entries were possible. Respondents were particularly concerned about right-wing extremism (72 percent) and Islamic extremism (61 percent). Only 29 percent fear left-wing extremism.
East and West Germany have different fears
Fears are different in East and West Germany: in the East, people are particularly worried about Islamist extremism, while in the West, people are particularly worried about right-wing extremism. In the East, the general fear of social division is somewhat stronger than in the West. A long-term comparison makes it clear: since 1996, the fear of political extremism has only been twice as high as in the current survey. In 2016 and 2017, 69 percent and 62 percent of those surveyed confirmed their fear of this. Since 2017, the fear of political extremism has steadily decreased. In 2023, it fell below the 40 percent mark for the fourth time in a row.
R+V Kindlustus sees the results of 2016 and 2017 primarily in connection with the attacks of the terrorist militia “Islamic State” and the wave of refugees in Europe. Current results are clearly supported by Correctiv's investigation of a secret meeting in Potsdam, including representatives of the AfD and the Identitarian Movement. They showed that there were “obvious efforts to destroy the state, democracy and society in their current form,” explains Borucki.
He sees it as a message to politicians, which has a certain urgency in view of the European Parliament elections and the elections in the states of Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg. “It is very important for our democracy that politicians reconnect with the people, take the concerns of civil society seriously and deal with the problems visibly.”