Germany is one of the few places in Europe where they make anything any more. Germany has been an industrial nation since unification in 1871 under Otto Von Bismarck, and in spite of the best efforts by Europe’s Left, remains a nation built on manufacturing. This shows some resiliency, as most of Europe had embraced the political Left for some time now, Germany being no exception. There are now signs that this may be changing, as young, well-off, educated Germans are increasingly supporting the Alternative f?r Deutschland (AfD) party.
Amid sky-high polling figures for the AfD that have the country’s establishment spooked, a new opinion survey that examined the demographic profiles of those who support the conservative, anti-globalist party revealed that, unlike before, they come from all social classes, ages, and education groups.
Whereas in past years the demographic profile of the party’s supporters tended to be older, less educated, and under-employed, now, according to an opinion survey carried out by the Institute for New Social Answers (INSA)–a prestigious German political and market research firm–AfD voters and sympathizers, people whom the Thuringian state spy boss calls the ‘brown dregs of German society’ are increasingly young, educated, and wealthy.
Mind you, there are plenty in Europe who might look askance at the rise of the Right in Germany, but their fears here are unfounded. Note, though, Thuringian state spy chief Stephan Kramer’s condescending remarks about the youths who support the AfD. That could well remind one of Hillary Clinton’s “basket of deplorables” remarks, and may well work out the same way. As for the demographics of the shift towards the AfD, here’s the interesting bit :
Figures revealed that, among those between the ages of 18 and 29 years old who were surveyed, 33% reported that they can imagine voting for the Alternative f?r Deutschland (AfD) party. Among voters aged 30-39 years old and 50-59 years old, that figure increased to 43% and 42%, respectively, while 35% of voters between the ages of 40 and 49 said they would consider voting for the party.
With respect to education levels, levels of support for the AfD were comparable among the different cohorts, with 33% to 34% of those with high school diplomas, secondary school diplomas, and university degrees all saying they can imagine voting for the party.
Regarding income level, the survey’s figures showed that Germans making more than EUR4,000 per month were most likely to be the most willing to support the AfD, at 42%.
The AfD is a right-of-center (by American standards; most Europeans would doubtless consider it far-right) party that has a platform opposing the European Union and globalism while favoring German nationalism and the restriction of immigration. The immigration issue, though, is not absolute, as most AfD members oppose illegal immigration and favor limits on refugees. In fact, the AfD has more immigrant members than the other major parties:
Contrary to popular belief, the AfD has more parliamentary group members with migration backgrounds (7.2%) than the CDU/CSU (4.1%) or the FDP (5.4%), according to research by the Integration Media Service.
It’s important to note that while most of Europe is well to the left of the U.S. on economic issues, the same doesn’t necessarily apply to social issues. AfD reflects that as well, being rather conservative on social issues as well as economic issues.
All that should sound familiar to American conservatives. The same generation in Germany leaning towards the AfD will be the ones forming the leaders of Germany’s government and society in the next few years, and it will be interesting to see if that trend holds and brings Germany’s government back into some semblance of sanity.
Europe, in general, and Germany, in particular, face a lot of challenges, and the remainder of this century may see the end of Europe as we know it today. The cradle of Western civilization today is addicted to deficit spending and cradle-to-grave social welfare. They aren’t reproducing. A dying empire is tormenting the eastern portion of the Continent, and it seems all the rest of Europe can do is to look to the U.S. to do something about it.
Will the red-pilling of Germany’s youth reverse any of these trends? It’s too soon to be certain, but what is certain is this: Europe, and Germany, can’t continue on the course they are on.