ABSTRACT
There is one thing that Germans can agree on immediately: that democracy is the ideal form of government. In 2018, about 94% of respondents supported the “idea of democracy”. The results of the 2018 survey continue to show that respondents are dissatisfied not only for these reasons; they are also dissatisfied because fundamental rights are granted to others, too. Almost 50% of respondents in West Germany, and 57% in East Germany, want to restrict the rights of certain groups. Authoritarian subjugation, conventionalism, authoritarian aggression, and the propensity to devalue others – these are the core elements of a “potentially fascistic individual”. People who as children experienced harsh punishments and little emotional closeness from their parents are more likely to display an authoritarian syndrome in adulthood.
