Ost vs. West, Nord vs. Süd, Stadt vs. Land? Regionale Spezifika des Wahlverhaltens bei der Bundestagswahl 2021

In: Zeitschrift für Parlamentsfragen, Band 53, Heft 2, S. 304-327

Abstract

Following five hypotheses derived from the research literature, the results of the 2021 Ger- man federal election are analyzed on several dimensions: The voting behavior of East and West Germans differs in particular with regard to CDU/CSU and the Green Party, both with electoral strongholds in the West, and the AfD (right-wing populist party) as well as Die Linke (socialist party), both with above-average shares of vote in the East . In this respect, "two German electorates" (Dalton / Bürklin) still exist more than three decades after German reunification . Within those regions, however, clear geographic patterns on a larger scale (e .g ., between the north and the south) are not discernible . The situation chang- es at the city and district levels where considerable differences, especially for the Green Party and the AfD, can be found . These can be interpreted as an indication of conflict between urban areas and rural regions .