Employees backing established parties are biggest supporters of energy transition in Germany – study
Clean Energy Wire
Support for Germany's energy policies varies starkly between employees backing populist parties compared to those supporting the centre left or centre right, according to a study commissioned by labour union foundation Hans Böckler Stiftung. In general, employees backing parties in the centre right (CDU, FDP) and centre left (SPD, Green Party) tend to support policies such as the coal and nuclear phase-out, or renewable expansion targets more than those supporting the Alternative for Germany (AfD) or the relatively new Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW).
Employees backing the AfD and BSW tend to agree the least that the expansion of renewable power will create new jobs in Germany, while a majority of them agrees that the coal phase-out will lead to job losses in the affected regions, compared to a minority of respondents backing established parties.
Less than half of those supporting the BSW and the AfD agrees with the statement that renewable expansion targets are necessary. However, the majority of employed supporters of all parties agree that they would likely back the expansion of renewables if they were to profit too, according to the survey.
Market research institute Norstat surveyed around 2,000 employeed people in Germany in early 2024. To determine political backing, they asked respondents who they would vote for "if there were federal elections tomorrow".
Surveys show that most Germans support climate action and are worried about their future due to climate change. The latest Social Sustainability Barometer survey, conducted by the Helmholtz Centre Potsdam (RIFS) in 2023, found that while support for climate action remained high, many people were dissatisfied with the political implementation of the transition in the energy and transport sectors.
A 2023 report by the Mercator Forum Migration and Democracy (MIDEM) at Technische Universität Dresden (TUD) showed that climate policies are among the most polarising topics in many European countries, including in Germany. The populist AfD and BSW made big gains in three local elections in eastern Germany in October.
