The center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its regional Bavarian “sister party,”, the Christian Social Union (CSU), are popular with people over the age of 60, churchgoers, and more with those living in rural rather than urban areas. The CDU has also traditionally done well among industry leaders, small-business owners and people with lower or medium education levels.
2021 Bundestag election result: 24.1% (2017: 32.9%)
The center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) has traditionally been the party of the working classes and the trade unions. Like the CDU it has an aging voter base. The SPD’s most fertile ground in Germany was traditionally the densely populated industrial region of western Germany, particularly the Ruhr region in North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as the states of Hesse and Lower Saxony.
2021 Bundestag election result: 25.7% (2017 20.5%)
The environmentalist Greens rely heavily on the well-educated, urban demographic for their voter base — party strongholds tend to be major cities in western Germany, especially where universities are located. Green voters have become more affluent over the years, and the Greens struggle to attract voters from lower-income classes.
2021 Bundestag election result: 14.8% (2017 8.9%)
As a neoliberal, pro-free market party, the Free Democratic Party (FDP) traditionally finds the most voters among the self-employed, especially business owners and professionals like dentists and lawyers. Its support from the working class is marginal.
2021 Bundestag election result: 11.5% (2017 10.7%)
The Left Party’s stronghold was traditionally in the former East Germany, with former communists who supported the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and protest voters who wanted to express their disenchantment with traditional parties. However, many of these have switched to the populist nationalism of the AfD since 2015.
2021 Bundestag election result: 4.9% (2017 9.2%)
The AfD has poached voters from all the other major parties except the Greens and has simultaneously succeeded in mobilizing many non-voters. The AfD scores best among middle-income to low-income earners — though that is by no means its exclusive voter base — and draws voters from across social classes. It is especially successful in eastern Germany. Its membership, meanwhile, has one significant feature — only 17% are women.
2021 Bundestag election result: 10,3%