The economic crisis, Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine and a world order that many perceive as increasingly uncertain are forcing the government in Germany to undertake changes.
Most people in Germany generally support these efforts, but unequal living conditions are putting pressure on democracy. This is shown by the new edition of the Deutschland-Monitor 2025 study, reports the public media ARD.
This year, it seeks to answer the question of how ready Germany is for change. According to the results, parts of society are open to authoritarian ideas. For example, the demand for a single party, a strong leader without parliamentary restrictions and a dictatorship as a form of government meets the approval of about one in five German residents. In the eastern German states, even one in four people sympathize with this idea.
Two percent of those interviewed completely agree with the following three statements: "In certain circumstances, dictatorship is the better form of government", "Decisions should be made by a political leader - without the participation of parliament" and "Germany only needs one strong party". And 21 percent of those surveyed are "at least open" to an authoritarian system.
Overall satisfaction with democracy
Around 8,000 people were surveyed for the Deutschland-Monitor 2025 survey. 98 percent of them support the "idea of democracy", and 89 percent reject dictatorship under all circumstances.
The results show that there is overall satisfaction with democracy, commented Elisabeth Kaiser, the German government's representative for the eastern states. However, she said, people who have had bad experiences with change in the past are more skeptical about the future and democracy, especially in areas that feel left behind.
Authoritarian ideas are clearly finding a response
Across the country, only 60 percent of people are satisfied with the way democracy works. In eastern Germany, the share is 51 percent, but this is still 8 percentage points more than in the previous survey in 2023. Overall, 71% see a rather negative development of democracy in Germany.
The thesis "In certain circumstances, dictatorship is the better form of government" is fully supported by 4% of respondents nationwide, while 7% support it partially. In eastern Germany, as many as 6% think so, and twice as many people - 12% only partially approve, the ARD also points out.
People are against working longer
When it comes to topics such as defense, the economy, digitalization, demography, climate and migration, the majority of people are ready to take on some burdens in whole or in part, the researchers explain.
However, there is one exception: given the aging of society, 58% of people reject the request to work longer in order to receive the same pension as others. Most respondents consider this to be an excessive requirement, as is clear from the Deutschland-Monitor 2025 study.