Germany's Drift Towards the Far Right: How Extremist Ideas Gain Influence Within the Political Center
Extreme right-wing ideas, which were previously confined to the margins of politics, are gaining increasing acceptance within the mainstream in Germany, and researchers warn that this shift poses a direct threat to the foundations of democracy in the country.
The new version of the Die Mitte study reveals that one in five Germans who consider themselves moderate no longer clearly reject statements associated with far-right ideology. Researchers describe this as the strongest wave of normalization of extremist ideas in the last decade.
According to the study's author Andreas Zick, far-right views are spreading more within the democratic center. Support for aggressive nationalism and the ethnic definition of German identity has risen to 20%. The results show a broader spread of anti-foreigner attitudes, increased sympathy for authoritarian solutions, and a deeper decline in commitment to democratic principles.
As the crisis of trust in democratic institutions increases. The level of distrust has risen from 14.3% in 2020-2021 to 21.5% in 2024-2025. More concerning is that the percentage of those who doubt the legitimacy of elections has tripled since 2020, from 5.8% to 18.2%. Co-author Bette Cooper confirmed that the decline in trust is directly related to an increase in openness to anti-democratic attitudes.
The biggest change is seen among the youth. Among those aged 18 to 34, 12.5% support anti-foreign positions, which is more than double the rate in older age groups. Researchers believe this shift is linked to feelings of political marginalization, economic instability, and the impact of propaganda content on social media, where far-right groups have heavily invested in short, emotionally charged messages, reshaping youth political engagement.
This trend is also reflected in the election results. In the February 2025 elections, the far-right party 'Alternative für Deutschland (AfD)' received 20.8% of the votes, the highest percentage it has ever achieved. Current polls indicate that the party has reached 26%, surpassing Chancellor Friedrich Merz's party and dominating several regions in the east.
The public's perception of the party has also changed. According to Beate Küpper, 30% of Germans see the AfD party as 'like any other party,' despite its official classification by German intelligence as a confirmed extremist group. The party adopts an exclusive ethnic vision of German identity and calls for 'repatriation,' a term widely understood as a call to expel migrants, including naturalized citizens who are considered not integrated enough.
Cooper warned that any cooperation between conservative parties and the AfD party would accelerate the normalization of extremist ideas, pointing out that European experiences show that far-right parties do not moderate when treated as legitimate political actors; on the contrary, traditional parties are drawn further to the right.
She emphasized that Germany must take the rise of right-wing extremism very seriously, as recalling German history, no group can consider itself immune from exclusion if these ideas continue to spread.