AfD’s surging popularity says more about the growing dissatisfaction with the political elite than about ‘extremism’ in Germany.
Rising support for right-wing AfD (Alternative für Deutschland) is not due to the ‘radicalisation’ of the country reported by most media outlets, but is a protest against the establishment’s unpopular policies, according to a new survey by the Allensbach Institut for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
Participants in the poll were asked questions about various issues to determine how ‘radical’ their views were. The results show that only 2% of participants were deemed to be on the hard right of the political spectrum and another 2% on the extreme left. Of the respondents, 12% were considered to be strongly on the right, and 7% were strongly on the left. Everyone else had centrist views or was moderately on the right or left.
