Discontent in ‘left-behind places’? How perception of space and local political climate matter for the success of right-wing populism in rural areas of Germany

2025/12/15 by Larissa Deppisch, Andreas Klärner · 1 voice · 1 citation
Social Sciences · Environmental Science · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Populism, Right-Wing Movements #Ecology, Conservation, and Geographical Studies #Rural development and sustainability

paper · doi:10.1080/00343404.2025.2587811

Abstract

The ‘geography of discontent’ debate argues that discontent in ‘left-behind places’ is the root of the rise of right-wing populism in rural areas. Based on a qualitative analysis of group discussions, we examine why the right-wing populist party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is successful in some structurally weak rural areas, but not others. And why does it succeed in some structurally strong areas, yet fail in others? The derived heuristic model suggests that the interweaving of discontent with the limitation of opportunity structures and a centre-right local political climate explains high AfD vote shares in rural areas.

Citations

• Die „Alternative für Deutschland“: eine Partei für Modernisierungsverlierer?
• The revenge of the places that don’t matter (and what to do about it)
• Die AfD und die unteren Statuslagen. Eine Forschungsnotiz zu Holger Lengfelds Studie Die „Alternative für Deutschland“: eine Partei für Modernisierungsverlierer?
• Modernisierungsverlierer, Cultural Backlash, Postdemokratie
• Long‐term decline of regions and the rise of populism: The case of Germany
• Progress on a cognitive-motivational-relational theory of emotion.
• Left-behind versus unequal places: interpersonal inequality, economic decline and the rise of populism in the USA and Europe
• Left behind in a public services wasteland? On the accessibility of public services and political trust
• The Geography of EU Discontent and the Regional Development Trap
• Geography of Shrinkage: Local Population Decline and Electoral Support for the Anti-establishment Parties AfD and BSW in East German State Elections
• Modernization Losers’ Revenge? Income Mobility and Support for Right- and Left-Wing Populist Parties in Germany
• How Rural is Rural Populism? On the Spatial Understanding of Rurality for Analyses of Right‐wing Populist Election Success in Germany*
• The geography of EU discontent

Cited by

• Does regional context affect populist voting? A comparative multilevel analysis from Czechia and eastern Germany

Discussions

• Economic decline doesn’t always lead to #populism. The local political climate acts as a filter. As Deppisch & @andreasklaerner.bsky.social argue in @regionalstudies.bsky.social, in some rural areas d [bsky, 9 points, 0 comments]

Related

• How Rural is Rural Populism? On the Spatial Understanding of Rurality for Analyses of Right‐wing Populist Election Success in Germany*
• Long‐term decline of regions and the rise of populism: The case of Germany
• Ethnic diversity, deprivation, and populist radical right voting: A rural-urban perspective on AfD support in Germany
• The Strength of Far‐Right AfD in Eastern Germany: The East‐West Divide and the Multiple Causes behind ‘Populism’
• Angry together or agitated alone? The role of social capital in the geographies of discontent