6533b820fe1ef96bd12798bc

RESEARCH PRODUCT

How the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and their voters veered to the radical right, 2013–2017

Carl C. BerningKai Arzheimer

subject

Salience (language)media_common.quotation_subject05 social sciencesImmigrationlanguage.human_language0506 political scienceGermanRadical rightArgumentPolitical economyPolitical science0502 economics and businessPolitical Science and International Relations050602 political science & public administrationlanguageSocial mediaTracking (education)Ideology050207 economicsmedia_common

description

Abstract Until 2017, Germany was an exception to the success of radical right parties in postwar Europe. We provide new evidence for the transformation of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) to a radical right party drawing upon social media data. Further, we demonstrate that the AfD's electorate now matches the radical right template of other countries and that its trajectory mirrors the ideological shift of the party. Using data from the 2013 to 2017 series of German Longitudinal Elections Study (GLES) tracking polls, we employ multilevel modelling to test our argument on support for the AfD. We find the AfD's support now resembles the image of European radical right voters. Specifically, general right-wing views and negative attitudes towards immigration have become the main motivation to vote for the AfD. This, together with the increased salience of immigration and the AfD's new ideological profile, explains the party's rise.

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2019-08-01Electoral Studies
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electstud.2019.04.004