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The mood of many voters ahead of the upcoming general election is characterized by a strong sense of loss, worry and disappointment with politics. The consequences of a stuttering economy, mismanaged migration and crumbling infrastructure are increasingly penetrating everyday life and creating the feeling of being stuck in a backlog of problems with no way out.
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These are the key findings of the election study conducted regularly before the Bundestag elections and published today by the Cologne-based rheingold Institute, which specializes in qualitative-psychological market, cultural and social research.
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"The perceived hopelessness manifests itself on three levels," says Stephan Grünewald, psychologist and founder of the rheingold Institute. "Politically, there is a lack of convincing visions and neither the candidates nor the coalition options are convincing voters."
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Feel-good bubbles no longer protect
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The retreat into private feel-good bubbles practiced in recent years no longer works as a calming strategy. Overall, Germany, once such a successful model country, is perceived as ailing. People feel shaken to the core and have little confidence that a change of government will improve the situation.
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Longing for a caring and strong crisis manager
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This situation creates a political longing for an assertive but also caring crisis manager, a profile that none of the candidates can really fulfill for various reasons. "The fact that the quarrelling protagonists of the failed traffic light government are once again standing for election together is causing additional offense and anger," says Grünewald. Donald Trump's election in the USA is also shifting the German profile of choice in a conservative and sometimes more radical direction along the lines of "Germany First".
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There is no sign of a spirit of optimism with a view to possible coalitions in this election. Rather, there is a feeling of hopelessness here too. After the sobering experience with the traffic light coalition, voters do not expect any convincing coalition options. Even the coalitions favored as the lesser of two evils in the process of elimination usually create a feeling of hopelessness.
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Cracks in society deepening
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The heated atmosphere is increasingly perceived as "explosive" . The fuse in contact with friends or acquaintances is getting shorter and many have the feeling that they are sitting on a powder keg, both nationally and internationally. Overall, it can be observed that the social divide is leading to ever deeper rifts. In the in-depth interviews, one sometimes gets the impression that the voters interviewed live in completely different realities and perceive the world completely differently.
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The more left-wing bourgeois camp fears the "downfall of the West" if the AfD comes to power. This camp conjures up normality, fights to maintain the status quo, sometimes idealizes the situation, fights for democracy and sees itself as a bastion of good. It hopes that the backlog of problems will disappear through democratic efforts.
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Threatening standstill awakens secret longing for "blasting"
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The more conservative or AfD-affiliated camp, on the other hand, has the feeling that Germany is already in the midst of its downfall. Stunned, they describe the ailing state of the country, bemoan the incompetence of those in power, dramatize the situation to some extent and feel homeless in their own country. This camp is angry and demanding, calling for a radical crackdown and a decisive turnaround back to its former strength.
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At the same time, the sense of hopelessness in the deadlocked situation reinforces a latent longing to resolve the backlog of problems decisively or radically. In view of the huge problems, stagnation and simply "business as usual" seem increasingly threatening. The AfD caters to these feelings with the promise of being able to "blow up" the system.
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What people want from politics
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Future politicians are expected to demonstrate a unity of purpose despite the expected differences in content. Tired of party-driven tactics and power games, people are demanding pragmatic solutions. Swift and fact-oriented cooperation can inspire confidence after the election that the backlog of problems can be resolved.
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"Politicians urgently need to take action against the increasing division in our society," says Stephan Grünewald. "A first important step is to clearly state the increasingly obvious problems and point out concrete options for action."
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Method and sample of the study
The depth-psychological election study is based on the exploration of 50 voters in the survey period January 13-23, 2025.
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24 people were interviewed intensively in three two-hour group discussions, each with eight interviewees face-to-face in Cologne. 26 people were interviewed intensively throughout Germany in two-hour qualitative psychological video interviews. All respondents were between 20 and 65 years old. The party affinity of the interviewees corresponds to the distribution of votes in the election polls in the first half of January.
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The aim of the study is to understand the mood among voters and to determine their underlying views and often unconscious motivations, in addition to the new demoscopic data available every day. The study is not representative due to its qualitative sample, but it does represent the often unaddressed fears, desires and perception patterns of voters.
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If you need more information, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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Best regards from Cologne,
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