According to a study by the Infratest dimap institute, the largest number of young residents of Thuringia and Saxony voted for the far-right AfD in Sunday's state elections. “The AfD gives the impression that it will solve the problems of young people,” Martin Fuchs, a digital policy adviser, told the MDR portal.
On Sunday, residents of Saxony and Thuringia elected members of their regional parliaments. The far-right Alternative for German (AfD) not only achieved a high overall result in the state elections, but – as research shows – it clearly won among the youngest voters.
In Thuringia, 38 percent of 18-24 year-olds chose the AfD, which left the Left Party (16 percent) and CDU (13 percent) far behind, according to a study by the Infratest dimap institute.
A similar trend is visible in Saxony, where 31 percent of voters under 24 voted for the AfD. 17 percent of the youngest voters supported the CDU and 13 percent for the Left Party.
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Young people from Thuringia and Saxony have chosen the AfDCLEMENS BILAN/PAP/EPA
According to young people, AfD is a party that solves problems
German media are drawing attention to a shift in the preferences of young voters, who are moving from left-wing parties to the far right. According to digital policy advisor Martin Fuchs, it is no longer just about the AfD's popularity on TikTok, a social media platform for young people.
– Blaming TikTok for the fact that young people in Saxony and Thuringia voted so often for the AfD is not enough – Fuchs assessed, quoted by the MDR portal. – A more important aspect is that the AfD takes young people seriously, and they are interested in politics and see problems – added the expert. According to young people, the AfD is a party that solves problems.
In turn, the head of the Institute for Generational Studies, Ruediger Mass, pointed out that many of the youngest voters see the classic left-right division as outdated, rejecting this pattern. As a result, as he told the RND portal, right- and left-wing extremisms are not perceived as radical.
Mass also points out that young voters are often convinced by the AfD because of its substantive approach to problems. – For young people, important issues today are security, the financial situation and the topic of migration – he emphasized.
In addition, a survey by the Institute for Generational Studies showed that younger voters praised the AfD for its clear and lucid language. “Young supporters praised the AfD for listening to people and also for speaking directly,” Mass said.
– There were also frequent mentions of calls for more stringent measures to curb immigration and reduce the proportion of foreigners, as well as criticism of established parties. In particular, there was frequent mention of dissatisfaction with the policies of the last 20 years and the failure of the current government coalition, he added.
Main image source: CLEMENS BILAN/PAP/EPA