Consequences of Demographic Change on Political Attitudes and Political Behavior in Germany

Research question/goal: 

Demographic change is one of the major challenges Germany is facing in the next decades to come. Ageing of the population will be substantial, pushing the median age up to unprecedented high levels. Mainstream research is largely focusing on the consequences of these developments for social policy and the economy. But demographic change also has potentially substantial effects upon political attitudes and behavior in various age groups. Will public opinion on policy matters tend to polarize between generations? And how could that, in turn, affect the acceptance and stability of the political system? The aim of the project is the analysis of these so far largely neglected issues by investigating the implications of demographic change for political attitudes and political behavior.

Current stage: 

The project has now reached its final stage. In addition to the project´s main findings having appeared in three professional journals in 2012, we are at present working on a monograph in which we expand on these results with a set of more comprehensive analyses. In this book we observe political behavior and political attitudes of citizens in an ageing population – from different angles and by means of different data sources and empirical methods. The manuscript will be brought to completion in 2013 and the publication at the Nomos publishing house is planned for 2014.

Fact sheet

Funding: 
VW-Stiftung, University Mannheim
Duration: 
2009 to 2013
Status: 
ongoing
Data Sources: 
Survey data, aggregate data, qualitative study components (focus groups)
Geographic Space: 
Germany

Publications

Journal Articles

Bergmann, Michael, Laura Konzelmann and Hans Rattinger (2012): Deutschland auf dem Weg in die "Rentner-Demokratie"? - Eine empirische Untersuchung altersspezifischer Einstellungsunterschiede und ihrer Bedeutung für das Wahlverhalten auf Basis einer aktuellen Bevölkerungsumfrage. Politische Vierteljahresschrift, 53, issue 3, p. 371-393. more
Wagner, Corina, Laura Konzelmann and Hans Rattinger (2012): Is Germany Going Bananas? Life Cycle and Cohort Effects on Party Performance in Germany from 1953 to 2049.. German Politics, 21, issue 3, p. 274-295. more
Konzelmann, Laura, Corina Wagner and Hans Rattinger (2012): Turnout in Germany in the course of time: Life cycle and cohort effects on electoral turnout from 1953 to 2049. Electoral Studies, 31, issue 2, p. 250-261. more

Conference Presentations

Konzelmann, Laura, Michael Bergmann and Hans Rattinger (2011): Auswirkungen des demographischen Wandels auf politische Einstellungen und politisches Verhalten in Deutschland. [Zweites Statussymposium "Individuelle und gesellschaftliche Perspektiven des Alterns" der VolkswagenStiftung, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, December 01st to December 03rd, 2011] more
Konzelmann, Laura, and Corina Wagner (2010): Is Germany going bananas? Life Cycle vs. Cohort Effects on Electoral Choice in the Course of Time. [ECPR Joint Sessions, Münster, March 22nd to March 27th, 2010] more
Konzelmann, Laura, Corina Wagner and Hans Rattinger (2010): Is Germany going bananas? Life-Cycle and Cohort Effects on Party Performance in Germany from 1953 to 2049. [EPOP Annual Conference 2010, University of Essex, September 10th to September 12th, 2010] more
Konzelmann, Laura (2010): Politisches Verhalten und politische Einstellungen in Zeiten des demographischen Wandels. [Sektionstagung der Sektion Alter(n) und Gesellschaft der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie (DGS): "Themen und Konzepte der Alter(n)ssoziologie 2010+", Berlin, June 26th, 2010] more