In North Rhine-Westphalia, satisfaction with democracy is falling rapidly-especially among young people. According to the third so‑called Democracy Report from the state’s Center for Political Education, the “Rheinische Post” reported in its Friday issue.
In 2025, only 47 % of respondents aged 14 to 18 were satisfied with how democracy actually works, a decline of 30 percentage points from two years earlier. Among 19‑ to 29‑year‑olds the figure fell from 65 % to 51 %, and for 30‑ to 44‑year‑olds it dropped from 61 % to 43 %.
Despite this, 89 % of all respondents still agreed that democracy is “the political system that best fits our society” (down only slightly from 91 % in 2023). At the same time, the proportion endorsing the statement “Under certain circumstances a dictatorship is the better form of government” rose to 15 % in 2025 (from 11 % in 2023). Moreover, 22 % now support the claim that “political decisions should be made by a strong leader who does not have to heed the parliament” up from 11 % in 2023. Nearly half (47 %) leaned toward the notion that “what Germany needs now is a single strong party that embodies the will of the people as a whole” compared with 26 % last year.
The authors of the study now classify only 44 % of the population as democrats without reservations, down from 62 % in 2023. According to the Center, a total of 2,914 people were surveyed by phone and online in March and April 2025.
