Study: Far-Right and Islamist Attacks Boost AfD Support

A study led by economist Guido Friebel has found that far-right and Islamist terrorist attacks increase support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The research, conducted by a team of scientists, analyzed data from the Global Terrorism Database at the University of Maryland and the German Socio-Economic Panel, a long-running longitudinal study surveying 30,000 people annually. The study focused on the period from 2010 to 2020. Friebel, who is primarily a personnel scientist, researches the economic effects of migration. The findings come amid questions about the impact of a recent terror attack on a Berlin CSD (Christopher Street Day) parade, which left one dead and 31 injured, on upcoming state elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Berlin. Friebel's prognosis is grim, suggesting that such attacks could further bolster the AfD's electoral prospects.