FAZ article: Study shows limited effect of CEO criticism of the AfD

The latest policy paper by the Institute of German Business (IW) in cooperation with the International University Institute Zittau of the TUD Dresden University of Technology comes to a differentiated conclusion about corporate political positioning.

Public criticism of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) by business leaders has only limited persuasive power and can even have the opposite effect in some cases. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reports on this in a detailed article entitled "Bosses hear a different echo from the left than from the right", which was written by Mark Fehr.

The article examines how political statements by CEOs are perceived by the general public. The analysis is based on a large-scale online survey with more than 5,400 participants. The key result shows that while supporters of the Greens and the Left often rate political criticism of the AfD by company management positively and trust in the companies in question increases, AfD sympathizers react in the opposite way. Their trust in the criticizing companies decreases, and in some cases their political ties to the party even strengthen.

The authors of the study, Knut Bergmann and Matthias Diermeier ( IW) as well as Benedikt Kapteina and Markus Scholz (IHI Zittau), explain these effects with a strong group-related perception. Criticism from business representatives tends to be interpreted by AfD supporters as an attack on their own identity, while left-leaning groups follow an alliance logic.

At the same time, the FAZ article makes it clear that the population's trust in companies as political actors is limited overall. Only a minority consider it legitimate for CEOs to make public party-political statements. Against this background, the authors of the study recommend a measured, objective and responsible approach to political engagement. Exaggerated or delegitimizing statements could unintentionally increase polarization and strengthen political fringes.

The paper places the findings in a broader debate about the role of companies in political discourse and shows that well-intentioned CEO activism can miss its mark and, under certain conditions, even have the opposite of the intended effect.

The full policy paper can be found here .