“People think of white-black categories, in categories anyway, and not in shades of gray,” he stressed a political scientist
Political scientist Sarah Stremel expects that polarization in society will lead to a higher participation of voters in the elections. According to the perception of society, in these Budestag elections “many are at stake,” the researcher at the University of Regensburg said on the WDR 5 radio station, adding that many people have the feeling that democracy is generally threatened in these elections. The reasons for this include discussions on immigration policy and the “democratic wall” to AfD.
In the previous federal elections of 2021, the participation of voters at the national level was 76.6%. The previous low for federal elections was 70.8% in 2009. Although high voters’ turnout is positive, the tendency for greater ideological polarization of different views is not good for democracy in the long run, Stremel stressed.
“People think in categories of white-black, in categories or otherwise, not in shades of gray.” This would strengthen the political parties on the outskirts. The discussions are very emotionally charged and tolerance is lost, the doctoral researcher explained. However, thinking in categories of friend or enemy is a danger to the culture of dialogue and in the long run leads to further polarization and division of society.
Source :Skai
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