Nearly half of people in eastern Germany (49 percent) express dissatisfaction with how democracy functions in the country. Fourteen percent describe their discontent as “very dissatisfied”. In contrast, dissatisfaction in western Germany is 38 percent, with eight percent calling it “very dissatisfied” according to the current “Deutschland‑Monitor” commissioned by the federal government. Ostbeauftragte Elisabeth Kaiser (SPD) will present these findings on Thursday, and the magazine “Stern” has already reported on them.
The survey also finds that one‑fifth of the overall population (21 percent) – and a quarter of eastern Germans (26 percent) – appear open to authoritarian ideas. Thirty‑five percent of eastern respondents agree that Germany needs a single, strong party that fully embodies the will of the people, with an additional 26 percent agreeing only partly. In the west, 30 percent of respondents see the statement as correct, and 23 percent only partially agree.
A minority of respondents also support a “strong leadership figure” who “does not consider the parliament’s wishes”. Fifteen percent of eastern participants prefer such a leader, while six percent see a dictatorship as a “better form of government under certain circumstances” and a further 12 percent agree to some degree. These figures fall roughly half as high in the west.
