A new Germany-Monitor 2025 survey shows broad endorsement of democracy across Germany but widespread doubts about how well it is working. The study, presented in Berlin and funded by the Federal Commissioner for Eastern Germany, found support for democratic ideals has grown — notably in the east — even as many citizens question current performance.
The survey polled 4,000 people aged 16 and over between spring 2025 and September. It was carried out by the Center for Social Studies in Halle, the University of Jena and the Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences (GESIS). Federal Government Commissioner for Eastern Germany Elisabeth Kaiser, an SPD lawmaker, described the stronger backing for democracy as “a good thing — even in the east.”
Key findings:
– 98% of respondents said they believe in the idea of democracy, but only 60% think democracy is working well today.
– Basic procedural knowledge is limited: 68% correctly identified that democracy requires the government to follow parliamentary decisions and respect separation of powers.
– Researchers assessed 21% of respondents as receptive to authoritarian rule. Nationwide, 31% agreed with the statement “What Germany needs now is a single strong party that embodies the will of the people as a whole;” in the eastern states of the former GDR that share rose to 35%.
– Just 4% said they would agree that “under certain circumstances, a dictatorship is the better form of government.”
The authors caution that high overall attachment to democracy does not rule out a nontrivial minority open to authoritarian options.
Security and defense have become major topics since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago. Public debate in Germany has shifted toward strengthening the Bundeswehr, rearmament and even talks of reintroducing conscription. Concerns have also risen about whether the United States would reliably provide military support under former President Donald Trump.
Sociologist Reinhard Pollak of Mannheim, who led the research team, summarized the public mood as divided: about a quarter of the population wants substantial change, another quarter fears change is too rapid or extensive, and the broad middle is ambivalent, answering “it depends.” Pollak said researchers were surprised by the clarity of these patterns and that they did not point to simple change fatigue.
On migration, Germans expressed a nuanced view. A clear majority (68%) favor actively recruiting skilled workers from abroad, and 59% say the state should do more to promote immigrant integration. Still, 28% believe the wave of migration after 2015 led to many negative changes — a level of concern roughly comparable to the nationwide support for the populist, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD).
The survey also highlights a persistent East-West divide. In western Germany, optimism and openness to change do not closely follow local economic conditions; in the east, residents in less affluent areas are markedly more skeptical of the state and its institutions. Attitudes toward reunification differ too: about 55% of people in the west view reunification positively, while approval in the east ranges from 72% in economically stronger, mainly urban areas down to 49% in disadvantaged regions.
Overall, the Germany-Monitor 2025 portrays a population that overwhelmingly values democratic ideals but is split over how well those ideals are being realized and how to respond to security, economic and social challenges. The authors stress the need to address knowledge gaps and the factors that make parts of the population receptive to authoritarian ideas.