Germans Feel Democracy Is the Best Form of Government People in
Germany feel that democracy is the best form of government. This
is equally true for native Germans, immigrants and non-German
nationals living in Germany. Those are the findings of a
representative survey carried out on behalf of the Bertelsmann
Stiftung by the Forschungsgruppe Wahlen research institute.
Respondents were more skeptical, however, when it came to how
well Germany’s democracy is functioning, with 45 percent of
those queried – and 58 percent in the country’s eastern states –
expressing doubt. Immigrants and those whose families
immigrated, on the one hand, and young people with limited
education, on the other, say they are particularly dissatisfied
in this regard. The level of dissatisfaction rises, moreover,
the longer immigrants have lived in the country. Overall, 76
percent of non-Germans who have spent one-third of their life in
Germany say they are satisfied with how Germany’s democracy
works, while only 48 percent of those who