As of: March 28, 2024, 6:09 a.m
By: Florian Pfitzner
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Before the European elections, a relatively large number of those eligible to vote for the first time believe that the AfD is most likely to solve European problems. The sociologist Wilhelm Heitmeyer explains why this could be.
Berlin - The fact that first-time voters in the European elections are often most likely to trust the AfD to solve European problems is surprising to one of Germany's most prominent sociologists. “It seems quite irritating to me that the AfD, of all people, is given certain competences when it comes to Europe - especially since it generally positions itself against the EU,” says sociologist Wilhelm Heitmeyer, senior professor at Bielefeld University, in an interview with
IPPEN .MEDIA
. “Of those inclined to this opinion, few seem to know what achievements the European Union has brought about.”
For the first time in Germany, 16- and 17-year-old voters will be called to vote in the European elections on June 9th. Of those eligible to vote for the first time, 14 percent each believe the AfD and SPD are most likely to solve the problems in Europe. This emerges from a representative survey by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS). Among the population as a whole, the CDU/CSU is ahead when it comes to European political competence. 22 percent name the Union. The largest group sees no party in a position to solve the problems in Europe or lacks a suitable answer (together 42 percent).
Some young voters attribute certain competencies to the AfD. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has classified the party's offspring as a suspected case. © picture alliance/dpa | Alex Talash
The AfD is mentioned significantly more often in the young voter cohort (16 to 22 years old) than in the general population. From the perspective of the sociologist Heitmeyer, their narrative of greater sovereignty of nation states is particularly relevant to the sensitivities of some young people. “The authoritarian, the nationalistic and the radical as the central political characteristics of the AfD seem quite attractive to some first-time voters,” explains the scientist from the Institute for Conflict and Violence Research. “Behind this are characteristics such as superiority and power, which can particularly affect adolescent men.”
The AfD’s culture war
The attributions of European political competence measured in the study do not necessarily correspond to the voting behavior of Generation Z. In the 2021 federal election, the FDP, the Left and the Greens achieved better results in the youngest group of voters (18 to 24 years old) than in the entire electorate, as the KAS highlights. In contrast, the CDU/CSU, SPD and AfD clearly performed worse among the youngest group of voters than among all eligible voters.
In Bavaria and Hesse, things looked different in the state elections in autumn 2023, objects Heitmeyer. “In these countries, the AfD had the biggest gains among 18- to 24-year-old voters,” he says. “Democracy is in trouble globally, as a recent study by the Bertelsmann Foundation has shown. Some of our youth are joining this trend,” warns the sociologist. “This process is always about elevating yourself by devaluing others. Apparently there are quite a few young people in Germany who want to make a name for themselves at the expense of others - and also express this politically in favor of the AfD's culture war."
Where does it come from? Heitmeyer has two explanations for this: On the one hand, he explains the tendency towards authoritarian patterns among young people with the constant succession of crises over the past twenty years. “Crises are drivers of authoritarianism. They carry disappointed expectations with them and trigger uncertainty and fear.”
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The basic need for control
In particular, the changes that accompany a crisis can lead to uncertainty. “What gave you security for a long time suddenly disappears into thin air,” explains Heitmeyer. “This results in perceived, actually experienced or feared loss of control.” This is where the AfD comes in – with the promise of restoring control through authoritarian social policy. One remembers the advertising slogan of the Brexit supporters in Great Britain: “Take back control”. Actually, it is a basic need. Who wants to admit that a life is out of control?
In addition, the AfD is far ahead of other parties on digital platforms. “Here, too, this party relies entirely on emotionalization,” explains Heitmeyer. The AfD's leading candidate for the European elections, Maximilian Krah, combines statements about usual gender roles and the traditional family with a ethnic image of society that, upon closer inspection, is characterized by fragile masculinity. “Such emotionally charged content is viewed a lot on TikTok,” says Heitmeyer. “Political content, on the other hand, is clicked on significantly less often and therefore has significantly less reach. This is very dangerous in the long run.”