In North Rhine‑Westphalia, satisfaction with democracy is falling rapidly, especially among young people-a finding from the third “democracy report” issued by the State Office for Political Education, which the “Rheinische Post” highlighted in its Friday edition.
In 2025 only 47 % of 14‑ to 18‑year‑olds reported being satisfied with how democracy actually operates-a 30‑percentage‑point drop from the 2023 figure.
For 19‑ to 29‑year‑olds the figure fell from 65 % to 51 %, and among 30‑ to 44‑year‑olds it declined from 61 % to 43 %.
Despite these declines, 89 % of all respondents agreed that democracy is “the political system that best fits our society” (2023: 91 %). At the same time, 15 % (2023: 11) endorsed the statement “In certain circumstances, a dictatorship is the better form of government”.
One‑fifth (22 %) concurred that “political decisions should be made by a strong leader who does not need to heed Parliament” while nearly half (47 %, 2023: 26) favored “what Germany now needs is a single strong party that embodies the will of the people as a whole”.
The authors now classify only 44 % of the population (2023: 62) as uncompromising democrats. The survey, carried out by the State Office for Political Education in March and April 2025, interviewed a total of 2,914 people by phone and online.