Polarisation in Germany – Replication (August/September 2020)

The study on polarization in Germany is a replication of the 2019/2020 polarization study and was conducted by infratest dimap on behalf of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. During the survey period from August 2020 to September 2020, eligible voters aged 18 and over were surveyed in telephone interviews (CATI). In line with the intended replication design, the questionnaire largely consisted of indicators that had already been collected as part of the 2019/2020 polarization study. The previous questionnaire was supplemented by a few new instruments due to the coronavirus pandemic. Respondents were selected using a stratified random sample including landline and mobile phone numbers (dual-frame sample).<br>Life satisfaction; party preference (Sunday question); liking/disliking parties; satisfaction with democracy; groups of people with whom one does not want to have anything to do (AfD voters, Green voters, CDU voters, homosexuals, refugees, dog owners, Catholics, climate activists, vegans, SUV drivers, hunters); credible media with regard to political events; credibility of political news in public service media such as ARD and ZDF; feeling of own opinion representation in public service media; conspiracy theories: Evaluation of various claims as true or false (climate is changing more due to human influence, Russian secret service is killing people in other countries, measles vaccination is more dangerous than the disease itself, coronavirus is an excuse to oppress people, there are secret powers controlling the world); specific naming of secret powers controlling the world; confidence in the future; extent of worries about the future; perceived polarization (in today´s society, people are irreconcilable towards each other, lately I have been avoiding conversations on political topics because then there is only argument, I have broken off contact with certain people because of their political views); assessment of the economic situation of the region; expected economic development of the region; personally expected long-term effects of the Corona crisis; change in time pressure compared to before the coronavirus crisis; Agreement with statements about the corona crisis (The corona crisis has brought people closer together, many people are behaving recklessly during the corona crisis, the corona crisis is a heavy burden for me professionally, the corona crisis is a heavy burden for me privately, the corona crisis is a heavy burden for me in my family, the corona crisis is a heavy burden for me financially, the behavior of some people in my personal environment during the corona crisis scares me, the behavior of some strangers during the corona crisis scares me, too few people take the corona crisis seriously, I am coping well with the changes caused by the corona crisis).

Demography: sex; age; age in age groups; household size; number of people in the household under 18 and under 14; employment; unemployment for more than 6 months; job security; denomination or religious community; frequency of church attendance; highest level of education; personal migration background or parents´ migration background; assessment of household income; financial consequences of a major purchase (no problem or major challenge).

Additionally coded were: Interview number; region: federal state; political municipality size; weighting factor.