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Multi-Item Scale:

Now various statements follow that some people agree with, but others disagree with. What about you? For each statement, please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with it.<br> <i>[Nun folgen verschiedene Aussagen, denen manche Leute zustimmen, die andere aber auch ablehnen. Wie ist das bei Ihnen? Geben Sie bitte zu jeder Aussage an, inwieweit Sie ihr zustimmen oder nicht.]</i>

Item Text:

b. A strong leader is good for Germany, even if he doesn't always play by the rules to move things forward. [Ein starker Führer ist gut für Deutschland, auch wenn er sich nicht immer an die Regeln hält, um die Dinge voranzubringen.]

Different Answer Format Tested:

Nein

Findings:

How do respondents perceive the term "strong leader"?
The majority of persons “completely disagreed” with the statement (n= 7 ) or "rather disagreed" (n = 1 ), with one subject each locating themselves in the middle answer category or “rather agreeing” with the statement.
When asked what they understood by a "strong leader," eight respondents mentioned the reference to the Nazi era and Hitler:
  • "Now I would have thought of Adolf Hitler." (TP 02)
  • "When you hear the term 'Führer,' I think you can't help but think of the Third Reich." (TP 04)
  • "'Strong leader' is a bit of a problem in Germany. With that, you immediately slide into the right-wing corner. But that can just as well be a strong left-wing leader." (TP 09)
Furthermore, the test persons understood a "strong leader" to mean a leader or an (undemocratic) leader, especially in politics, but also in general:
  • "Someone who is particularly good at leading [and] guiding a group of people or institution and all sorts of other things." (TP 03)
  • "You can also understand it as a leader. [...] When it says 'leader' and then 'even if he doesn't always follow the rules to move things forward,' I think directly of a leader, like [a] chancellor who doesn't follow the basic laws [...] [or] constitution." (TP 04)
  • "It is directly explained what is meant by a strong leader, in the context. Meaning, that rules can also be broken. Therefore, it is an undemocratic leader." (TP 05)
Four persons also expressed a desire for a different wording:
  • "Maybe you could change that with the 'leader'. Something with a 'strong leading force' perhaps, because when you see 'Führer for Germany' now, you just think directly of Hitler." (TP 01)
  • "I don't like that expression so much. A strong leader is already good for Germany, if [...] [he] really takes things into his own hands, whether that's climate change or that [...] the middle and lower classes are better off [...]. If he doesn't always play by the rules, that's okay too, if he can really move things forward. [...] But in that case it's too general for me, because it can also go the other way." (TP 08)

Recommendations:

We suggest the following rewording:

"Having a strong leading force in government is good for Germany, even if he or she occasionally decides things on his or her own to move it forward."

Question tested:

false