In the Media

Press reactions to the Thuringia Monitor 2025

The Thuringia Monitor 2025 survey, conducted by the Institutes of Political Science and Sociology, sparked numerous press reactions following its publication on 12 May 2026. For the study, 3,838 Thuringians were surveyed by telephone or online between 2 June and 4 July. The results are available on the websites of the Thuringian State ChancelleryExternal link and KomRex de.

In a videoExternal link, the MDR Thüringen Journal emphasises that 90% of Thuringians feel a strong connection to their home region, and highlights as particularly positive how people in Thuringia rate their own quality of life – 85% are satisfied with where they live, 75% feel safe, 82% appreciate the vibrant community life, and 90% believe their children are growing up in a good environment.

In contrast, articles in the Thüringer AllgemeineExternal link, Die ZeitExternal link, MDR AktuellExternal link, stern TVExternal link, Jena TVExternal link and MDR Thüringen JournalExternal link focus primarily on the fact that whilst 90% of Thuringians regard democracy as the best form of government, only 44% are satisfied with how it is implemented in practice. In this context, the low levels of trust in the state government (29%) and the federal government (21%) are also highlighted as a problem.

Stefan GruhnerExternal link – Head of the Thuringian State Chancellery – interprets these findings as a mandate to improve the effectiveness of policy. For example, the state government views public dialoguesExternal link as a means of increasing participation. The Thüringer AllgemeineExternal link attributes the declining trust in the state government not only to the multiple crises of our time but also to the coalition of the CDU, SPD and BSW. Die ZeitExternal link adds to the discussion on dissatisfaction with democracy by noting that this has not, however, led to increased support for alternative social systems, and that the police and courts enjoy a high level of trust among the Thuringian population. Members of the Left PartyExternal link see social cohesion under pressure due to the results of the Thuringia Monitor 2025 and warn that social insecurity must not be directed against minorities.

The consistently relatively widespread prevalence of populist (over 50%) and far-right (18%) views is also receiving significant attention in Die ZeitExternal link, MDR AktuellExternal link, the Thüringer AllgemeineExternal link and Jena TVExternal link. Stern TVExternal link, on the other hand, emphasises the decline in both fears of foreign infiltration and ethnocentric attitudes, as well as a strong sense of national identity. As recently as the previous year, the FAZExternal link, among others, had been discussing record levels of fear of “dangerous foreign infiltration”.

Press reactions to the Thuringia Monitor 2024

The Departments of Political Science and Sociology conducted the Thuringia Monitor survey again in 2024. The results were made public on 6 May 2025 at the government press conference and are available on the State Chancellery’s website (linkExternal link; an overview can also be found on the KomRex website (link de)). A report by MDR (linkExternal link) focuses primarily on the low level of trust Thuringians have in the federal government, as well as their dissatisfaction with the functioning of democracy. Furthermore, the results are said to reflect a rise in populism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia, as Migazin (linkExternal link) also emphasises. Katharina König-Preuss, spokesperson for anti-fascism for the Left Party faction in the Thuringian State Parliament, describes the results of the latest Thuringia Monitor as a “wake-up call” (linkExternal link)

On 7 May, the Thüringische Landeszeitung reported in three articles (Vogel, Elena: TLZ, 7 May 2025, pp. 1–2) on a “growing gap between fundamental support for democracy and actual satisfaction with how it is implemented in practice”. Furthermore, trust in the federal government is low, whilst trust in the state government has seen an increase. Similar aspects are highlighted in other media reports, such as in the online magazine of Stern (linkExternal link) or a report by jenatv (linkExternal link). Both Die Zeit (linkExternal link) and Antenne Thüringen (linkExternal link) report on the basis of the dpa news report (dpa:250506-930-505649/3).

The Thüringen Monitor has been conducted annually since 2000. For this year’s survey, 1,817 Thuringians were interviewed by telephone and online.

25 June 2024

Telephone survey for the 2023 Thuringia Monitor: "Political Culture and the World of Work in Times of
Polycrisis and Skills Shortages" at the CATI laboratory of the Institute of Sociology

Link to the report (in German): https://thueringen.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Landesregierung/Landesregierung/Thueringenmonitor/Politische_Kultur_Thueringen_bf.pdfExternal link

Link to the government press conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zz-3pBjOpZAExternal link

In the press:

25 June 2024

Telephone survey for the Growth Report on the business situation of the Thuringian photonics industry, conducted at the CATI laboratory of the Institute of Sociology

Link to the report (in English): https://photonicsreport.optonet.info/?lang=enExternal link

02 June 2023

Telephone survey for the 2022 Thuringia Monitor: ‘Political Culture in Urban and Rural Areas’ at the CATI laboratory of the Institute of Sociology

Link to the report (in German): https://thueringen.de/fileadmin/user_upload/TSK/TM2022_lang_bf.pdfExternal link

Link to the online discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7IhjrCCYMQExternal link

On the government statement by Minister President Bodo Ramelow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdgVzmg6RqMExternal link

In the press:

07 December 2021

Telephone survey for the 2021 Thuringia Monitor: ‘Democracy during the COVID-19 pandemic’ at the CATI laboratory of the Institute of Sociology

Link to the report (in German): https://thueringen.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Landesregierung/Landesregierung/Thueringenmonitor/Thu__ringen_Monitor_2021_bf.pdfExternal link

Link to the online discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1GlVavK5GAExternal link

In the press:

https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/gesellschaft/thueringen-22-prozent-der-einwohner-verharmlosen-coronavirus-a-aa1b549d-ec92-491d-8527-9d23b75d33d0External link

https://www.zeit.de/zustimmung?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zeit.de%2Fnews%2F2021-12%2F05%2Fthueringen-monitor-antisemitische-haltung-weiter-verbreitetExternal link

19 April 2021

Telephone survey for the Growth Report on the business situation of the Thuringian photonics industry, conducted at the CATI laboratory of the Institute of Sociology

For regular updates on the completed survey: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6789889702922072064External link