ABSTRACT
The chapter studies changes to the demographic structures and political attitudes of German party members over time. Membership decline has been an important aspect of party politics in Germany for the last 20 years. Party members continue to have distinct social profiles compared to their social environment, but the patterns have remained relatively constant over time. There are also persistent differences between the membership profiles of the individual parties. The chapter finds that, with the start of the new millennium, German party members have become more politically active. Downsizing seems to have spurred political motivations among the rank and file of German parties. There is a tendency towards a stronger politicization of party membership. Party members demand stronger participatory rights, they emphasize programmatic clarity more explicitly and they have become less pragmatic over time.
