US rejection unites AfD and BSW voter bases
As per a recent study, followers of AfD (Alternative for Germany) and BSW (Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht) have common grounds in their rejection of US policies. Nevertheless, significant distinctions arise when it comes to their sentiments towards religious communities.
Oliver Decker, a researcher from Leipzig, led a research exploring the similarities and differences between AfD and BSW supporters. It is revealed that both groups' educational and income levels are comparable, along with the shared disapproval of American policies. However, the discontent with democracy and antipathy towards specific population groups, particularly Muslims, are significantly more intense among AfD sympathizers than BSW backers.
Based on the analysis, the researchers deduced that voters enveloped in extreme right-wing politics no longer adhere to conventional democratic parties based on shared milieu-based loyalty, instead forming a distinct political culture. The study named "Is there a chance for a new party? AfD supporters and the prospect of a left-of-center alternative" emphasizes that an over-representation of individuals with average education and income, mostly male, were found in both AfD and BSW sympathizer groups.
The study identified that despite Greens' self-proclaimed stance on the left, they are more anti-American than the average Green voter. Conversely, supporters of the left, BSW, and AfD demonstrated elevated sentiments against capitalism when compared to those of the other mainstream political parties.
The researchers utilized the opinion research institute Bilendi to test anti-Semitic sentiments by asking participants to rate on twelve statements such as "Israeli policies are making me dislike Jews more and more" and "We should rather focus on current problems than events that happened more than 70 years ago". The study showed that anti-Semitism was higher among AfD supporters.
To gauge anti-Americanism, participants were prompted to assess the statement "American imperialism is the real danger to world peace". The study survey also included statements revolving around capitalism, which had the following options: "Real democracy is only possible when there is no more capitalism".
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- Despite Alliance 90/The Greens positioning themselves on the left, the study revealed that they hold stronger anti-American sentiments than the average Green voter.
- Interestingly, while both BSW and AfD supporters share a disapproval of US policies, the latter exhibits more intense discontent with democracy and antipathy towards specific population groups, notably Muslims.
- In the study on anti-Semitic sentiments, it was found that AfD supporters rated higher on statements indicative of anti-Semitism compared to supporters of other political parties, including Alliance 90/The Greens.
Source: www.ntv.de
