Democracy means having a choice. Dictatorship means being subjected to a choice.
At a glance
- Elections are the foundation of every democracy. They determine the political course of the country for a fixed period of time.
- In the past, voter loyalty to certain parties was widespread. For years, however, voters’ willingness to switch allegiances has dramatically increased.
- In conjunction with changes in the electoral market and swing voters, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung’s electoral research work is also dedicated to the issue of who votes which party and why.
- Methodologically, a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches are suitable for our election and social research.
- We regularly commission representative surveys in order to research the fundamental patterns of attitudes towards political electoral behaviour.
Content
1. The electorate is undergoing change
2. Electoral research at the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung
3. Methods of empirical election and social research
4. Our offers and projects on the topic
5. Publications, events and media contributions on the topic
Elections are the cornerstone of democracy. Their outcome determines the political course for a set period of time. The decision of voters and electorate analysis are therefore of major importance beyond the boundaries of electoral research.
The electorate is undergoing change
Election polls have always enjoyed great popularity. Having said that, the voters’ enormous willingness to switch allegiances has dramatically increased over the years. Instead of a fundamental preference for one party, many voters in Germany now have a diverse openness to parties. Hence, poll data and the actual election results differ time and again.
Electoral research at the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung
Fundamental and long-term changes on the electoral market are just as much a focus of our studies as the explanation on who votes which party and why. “The goal is to use scientific means to create the foundations for political action and identify future developments at an early stage. […] At the interface between politics and science, research is to be conducted on such developments that have an impact on politics, the party system and political decision-making processes”, writes GESIS (Gesellschaft Sozialwissenschaftlicher Infrastruktureinrichtungen) as a background on the foundation regarding data sets of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung’s empirical studies.
Methods of empirical election and social research
In order to research electoral behaviour, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung applies a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. For instance, in-depth psychological interviews on the qualitative side provide insights into the rationale, unconscious and emotional perceptions surrounding the voting decision and underlying motives. These can then be tested for range and correlations in quantitative surveys.
The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung regularly commissions representative surveys and thus researches, often as a time series, basic patterns of attitudes towards political voting behaviour.
Our offers and projects on the topic
Website project “Election Analyses and Demoscopy”
With the website project “Election Analyses and Demoscopy”, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung provides a comprehensive knowledge portal relating to the topic of elections in Germany. In addition to analyses on federal or state elections, here you will find overviews of outcomes of elections that have taken place since 1946 as well as detailed information and relevant studies on opinion and survey research.
Election Analyses of Bundestag Elections
Our overview page on the Bundestag elections will provide you with election analyses since 2005 with major determinants of the election outcome, changes in vote shares, voter migration and voting behaviour in various population groups.
Learn more about the election analyses of Bundestag elections
Election Analyses of State Parliament Elections
Our overview page on all state parliament elections will provide you with election analyses since 2004 with major determinants for state election results, voter migration balances and voting behaviour in various population groups.
Learn more about the election analyses of state parliament elections
Election Outcomes and Representative Election Statistics since 1946
On our overview page on election outcomes and representative election statistics you can view all election results in Federal and State governments since 1946 based on publications of the Federal Statistical Office or the State Statistical Offices.
Demoscopy (Opinion Polls)
On our overview page on demoscopy you will find current surveys on voting intention (Sunday poll), on the most pressing problems and problem-solving skills, on politicians’ ratings, on the assessment of the economic situation as well as on the assessment of government and opposition in the long-term trend.
Historical election results at a glance
Elections had already taken place in Germany before 1946. Both in the Weimar Republic and the German Empire, elections to the German Reichstag were an integral part of the political system. Although elections also took place in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), these were not free and fair elections in the democratic sense, but rather so-called sham elections in which results were already known in advance and merely served the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) as an instrument of apparent democratic legitimacy. It was not until 1990, in the wake of the successful Peaceful Revolution, that the GDR’s People’s Chamber was freely elected for the first and last time. We have compiled the historical election results for you below.
Election Results in the German Empire 1871 to 1918
Our overview of election results in the German Empire shows the election results of all Reichstag elections in the period between 1871 and 1918.
Election Results in the Weimar Republic 1919 to 1933
Our overview of election results in the Weimar Republic shows the election results of all Reichstag elections in the period between 1919 and 1933.
Learn more about the election results in the Weimar Republic
Election Results in the GDR 1990
In 1990, as a result of the Peaceful Revolution in the GDR, free elections were held for the first and only time. We will present the rules of the election to the People’s Chamber on the following overview page.
Publications to the topic
Adobe Stock / bluedesign
Increased interest in Europe
Results from representative surveys on European political attitudes after the European elections
Adobe Stock / sebastien montier
Concerns and fears of the electorate – Results from representative surveys
What Germans are afraid of – On feelings of threat among the German population
IMAGO / Schöning
Analysis of the parliamentary election in Brandenburg on September 22, 2024
Report on the preliminary final result, the main voting determinants, voter migration and social structure
adobe stock / Simone
Analysis of the parliamentary election in Saxony on 1 September 2024
Report on the preliminary final result, the main voting determinants, voter migration and social structure.
IMAGO / Ardan Fuessmann
Analysis of the parliamentary election in Thuringia on 1 September 2024
Report on the preliminary final result, the main voting determinants, voter migration and social structure
Adobe Stock / Elle Arden / Generiert mit KI
A qualitative analysis of the political mood in Germany
Disappointment, frustration and resignation
KAS / Jochen Roose
Something New More Often: The electorate of the new left-conservative party BSW
Results from a representative survey
Adobe Stocke / Business Pics / Generiert mit KI
Analysis of the European Elections in Germany on 9 June 2024
Report on the preliminary final result, the main voting determinants, voter migration and social structure.
Adobe Stock / Sir_Oliver
„Just not that the constitution protection authorities ring my doorbell“
The spread of right-wing and left-wing extremist attitudes in Germany
Adobe Stock / volff
City, Countryside, ... Differences?
Political Attitudes from Big Cities to Rural Areas - Results from Representative Surveys
Adobe Stock / GMZ / Generated with AI
My First European Election
A Representative Survey about Political Attitudes on Europe among First-Time-Voters
Adobe Stock / Dr.Söd / Generated with AI
The digital divide in society
Results from a representative survey on artificial intelligence
Adobe Stock / Rawf8
Public Opinion on the European Union before the European Election 2024
A representative survey on attitudes on the EU
Adobe Stock / by-studio
Changing political attitudes
Results from three representative trend surveys
Adobe Stock / akkash
Enthusiastic, Critical, Unimpressed, Weary – the Germans and Europe
How do people in Germany evaluate the EU? Attitudes on Europe in a representative survey
Adobe Stock / Yakobchuk Olena
Forgoing for the sake of the climate?
Representative survey on attitudes toward climate protection and climate-friendly behaviour among the German population
weyo / Adobe Stock
The pro-European
Representative survey on attitudes toward Europe in the German population
IMAGO / imagebroker
Analysis of the parliamentary election in Hesse on 8 October 2023
Report on the preliminary final result, the main voting determinants, voter migration and social structure.
Event Reports on the topic
Henning Schacht
Stabile Mitte, fragile Wählerschaft
#IKPK21: Gesellschaftliche Vielfalt als Herausforderung für politische Kampagnen
Können Bürgerräte das Vertrauen in die Demokratie stärken?
Digitale Diskussionsveranstaltung im Rahmen des Projektes Gemeinsam.Demokratie.Gestalten.
CDU / Laurence Chaperon
Die CDU nach der Vorstandwahl
Prof. Niedermayer: „Die Union kann nur gemeinsam erfolgreich sein“
KAS
Lehren aus der Landtagswahl in Brandenburg
Eine Nachlese zu den Wahlanalysen und den Folgerungen daraus
Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung / Stefan Stahlberg
„Bürgerkontakt statt Beweihräucherung“
#IKPK17: Warum deutsche und US-Wahlkämpfer auf die persönliche Ansprache setzen – und wie sie damit erfolgreich sind
Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung / Stefan Stahlberg
Paralysierte Parteien, verlorenes Vertrauen und Wahlkampf-Wunder
#IKPK17: Einschneidende internationale Trends und Erfahrungen aus Wahlkämpfen in Frankreich, Österreich und Venezuela
"Demokratie ist kein Wellnessprogramm"
Dr. Peter Tauber diskutiert über Wahlbeteiligung, Verdruss und Alternativlosigkeit
Bundesverfassungsgericht, Erinnerungskultur, Politische Mitte und Europa
Eine vielfältige Tagung des Krone/Ellwanger-Kreises
KAS
Von Deutschlandkette bis Selbstvernichtung
#IKPK13: Experten bilanzieren auf der 11. IKPK den Bundestagswahlkampf
Media library
Pixabay / Mario Vogelsteller
Prof. Dr. Norbert Lammert mit Anmerkungen zur Bundestagswahl 2021
Herausforderungen für die Christdemokratie in Deutschland und Impulse zu den wichtigsten Aufgaben, die die kommende Bundesregierung in Angriff nehmen muss.
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Angela Merkel wird ein "leuchtendes Beispiel" bleiben
Am 26. September wählt Deutschland einen neuen Bundestag. Über die Erwartungen spricht der Vorsitzende der Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Norbert Lammert, im Interview mit ntv.
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CDU