Election expert: AfD is attracting support across all population groups

The Alternative for Germany is drawing support from every major demographic group ahead of Saxony-Anhalt’s state election, according to Stefan Merz of polling institute Infratest dimap. The party is polling at around 40% and clearly leads Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union in the state.

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A party that gets around 40% in the polls simply cannot rely on only one specific population group.

“A party that gets around 40% in the polls simply cannot rely on only one specific population group,” Stefan Merz told German broadcaster Deutschlandfunk. He said differences remain, but they are gradual rather than absolute.

Men support AfD more often than women, while young and middle-aged voters are more likely to back it than older people. Working people support the party more often than pensioners, with manual workers more likely to vote AfD than salaried or civil-service employees. Voters without a secondary education and residents of rural areas and small towns also support it more often than people with secondary education or those living in major cities.

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The party is currently receiving support from all population groups.

Merz stressed that these patterns do not mean other groups reject the party. Current polling in Saxony-Anhalt reportedly makes AfD the most popular party even among women. The party is classified by the state Office for the Protection of the Constitution as a confirmed right-wing extremist organization and has never participated in government at either state or federal level. Other major parties have refused cooperation, a policy known as the firewall. AfD is now seen as having a serious chance of winning an absolute majority on September 6.

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Men vote for AfD significantly more often than women. Young and middle-aged people do so more often than older people, and working people vote AfD more often than pensioners.