In post-election surveys for the German federal elections of 2017, 2021 and 2025, as well as a pre-election survey before the European elections in 2024, we have, among other things, examined how political information reaches voters in the context of nationwide elections. Here, conversations within one's personal environment were an important reference point where information conveyed by media is verified and contextualized. The focus of the investigation was thus on the question of what influence a personal environment with either similar or opposing political views can have. Such questions about the exchange of information were also explored in the context of social media. Also of interest were the effects that social and media communication about politics and elections have on individuals' political attitudes and behavior. Personal conversations with friends, family, and colleagues thus came into focus, as did the mediating role of both old and new forms of media. The understanding of what makes up the core of a democracy is becoming increasingly heterogeneous within the population.
Furthermore, a united conception regarding what constitutes a democracy in general and what keeps it functional also seems increasingly difficult to imagine.
Under these conditions, the study also addressed the question of whether a populist understanding of democracy can be identified, within which citizens view fundamentally different mechanisms and goals as prerequisites for the functioning of representative democracies.

In a report following the European elections in 2024, we inquired: What has changed in Germany over the past ten years? What hasn't? And how do people perceive these changes? How does their view on central elements of democracy, such as elections and parties, change? Based on population surveys conducted during the German federal elections of 2017 and 2021, as well as the European elections of 2024, the study revealed a nuanced picture: In some areas, there are significant shifts, for example in the context of media. At the same time, these changes in the economic and media context are accompanied by sometimes dramatic shifts in the perception of political parties. On many issues, however, the opinions of citizens have hardly changed.

The studies were part of the multinational "Comparative National Elections Project" (CNEP), in which political attitudes and voting behavior of citizens have been examined across countries following elections in 24 countries since 1990. In addition to the core questionnaire, country-specific extensions provide the opportunity to address the different electoral systems and current issues. In doing so, CNEP addresses questions related to the private and public mediation of politics, the structure of socio-political conflicts, different understandings of democracy, and voters' attitudes toward the integrity of elections.