The survey conducted by the German Economic Institute revealed that representatives of the German business world see the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as a threat to the economy. A survey conducted in Germany has revealed that representatives of the German business community see the rise of the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as a risk. According to the results of the study conducted by the Cologne-based German Economic Institute (IW), published on Sunday, approximately 80 percent of the economic and employer associations participating in the survey think that the rise of the AfD has a negative impact on the political culture in Germany.
The associations participating in the survey think that the establishment of a functioning government, both on a federal and state basis, has become difficult due to the changing situation in the distribution of votes with the rise of the AfD. According to 85 percent of the participants, there is a great risk of not being able to form a strong government at the state level, and according to 74 percent, at the federal level. Additionally, nearly half of the participants stated that “it is becoming increasingly difficult to recruit qualified labor from abroad in regions where the AfD is strong.”
According to the IW research, 57 percent of the respondents said that the AfD threatens Germany’s social market economy.
96 percent of those who responded to the survey questions stated that they were of the opinion that “the problems that exist today will be better solved by parties based on the libertarian-democratic constitutional structure than by parties that question this structure.” 96 percent of the participants think that the AfD is not capable of taking part in the government at the federal level and 80 percent at the state level.
Within the scope of the said research, the Institute asked its questions to the presidents of 119 economic and employer associations in Germany between 9-30 August. It was stated that a response was received from 45 percent of the representatives during this process. It is noteworthy that in the latest polls, AfD’s vote share is around 22 percent.