In-depth academic study

The subproject of the Leibniz Institute for Global and Regional Studies (GIGA) explores how international events and foreign policy developments impact political attitudes in Germany. The focus lies on examining whether and how international crises, conflicts, or political decisions reinforce or mitigate radical and extremist stances among the German public and political elites.

The aim of this subproject is to develop a deeper understanding of the interaction between international politics and societal polarization. As an institute specializing in global and regional political developments, particularly in the Global South, GIGA brings an international perspective to the research collaboration. The research team investigates temporal shifts in political attitudes as well as possible interactions between the positions of political elites and public opinions.

This research offers insights into how international developments can shape societal debates and political radicalization processes in Germany. Key research questions include: – Which international events and foreign policy developments amplify or diminish radical and extremist attitudes among the general population? – What events lead to radical or extremist positioning among party-political actors? – How do the positions of political elites influence opinions within the population?

To address these questions, GIGA builds on two research tools from the first phase of MOTRA and continuously develops them further. The study “People in Germany: International” (MiDInt) conducts representative online surveys every two to three months, involving around 2,500 participants from across Germany. This high-frequency data collection makes it possible to trace short-term trends in political attitudes as well as long-term developments.

In addition, additional surveys can be conducted during international crises such as the Israel-Gaza conflict following October 7, 2023, or the Iranian attack by the USA and Israel in early 2026. These surveys also allow for survey experiments to analyze potential causal links between international political developments and attitudes within the German population.

This is complemented by the “X-Monitoring Dashboard,” which analyzes public contributions from selected politicians on the platform X (formerly Twitter). The analysis focuses on thematic debates about international events like the Israel-Gaza conflict and pays particular attention to polarizing, radical, or potentially extremist positions expressed as part of self-presentation and opinion on social media.

By connecting population surveys with the analysis of party-political communication on X, it becomes possible to study the interaction between elite political statements and societal attitudes, how each influences the other, and how these dynamics evolve over time.

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