Link discussion paper [PDF, German]

Link news release of 24 March 2021 [German]

Summary

The empirical study gives a first comprehensive overview of the political poten-tial of corona-related protests in Germany. It concludes that corona protests have a considerable and relatively stable mobilization potential among the German population. Based on original survey data, the study shows that this mobilization potential is not only formed by the radical right fringe. It also consists to a signif-icant extent of a political center not represented by established parties, which is generally suspicious of the state and its institutions. Over time, the mobilizationpotential has increasingly shifted to the right and, due to its susceptibility to con-spiracy theories, further radicalization seems possible