EINWURF 1/2013 EN - Rather Apolitical Friends: Who Doesn’t Vote in Germany Anymore – and Why

Whether someone votes in Germany depends on where they live, who their friends are and whether politics are discussed in their family. The typical nonvoter doesn’t view voting as a civic duty, lives in disadvantaged neighborhoods, is young and is just as apolitical as those in his or her environment. The protesting “Party of Nonvoters” is a myth: Political indifference, rather than disenchantment with democracy, explains why people from social strata with lower levels of income and education participate in politics less. Germany is becoming a socially devided democracy.