Forty-Five Percent of Young Muslims Sympathize With Islamism

Almost every second young Muslim in Germany shows sympathy for Islamist positions, according to a major new study on radicalisation. The findings come from the latest MOTRA Monitor 2024/25, a comprehensive research report on radicalisation trends in Germany. The project is conducted by the MOTRA research network in cooperation with the Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt, BKA) and aims to provide a systematic academic assessment of extremist tendencies.

The report is among the most extensive empirical studies of political radicalisation ever conducted in the Federal Republic. It is based on several representative survey waves covering more than 21,000 respondents. According to the BKA, the monitoring aims to identify radicalisation processes at an early stage and provide insights for prevention and security policy.

One of the most striking findings concerns Islamist attitudes among younger Muslims. According to the study, 11.5 per cent of Muslims under the age of 40 hold manifest Islamist views, while a further 33.6 per cent express at least latent sympathy for Islamist ideas. Taken together, that amounts to 45.1 per cent. Researchers also observe that younger age groups generally tend to support more radical political positions than older generations.

The authors write: ‘Overall, in 2025, 45.1 per cent of the younger age group of Muslims living in Germany hold either latent or manifest Islamist-leaning views.’ According to the study, almost every second young Muslim therefore shows at least an ideological proximity to Islamist positions. The increase since 2021 is particularly pronounced in the category of latent Islamist attitudes, which have risen significantly in this age group.

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Right-Wing Extremism Also Widespread Among Young People

The authors stress that radicalisation is not confined to a single ideological milieu. Rising levels of support are also visible within the right-wing extremist spectrum, particularly among younger respondents.

While the share of manifest right-wing extremist attitudes in the overall population has remained relatively stable at around 5.4 per cent, openness to right-wing extremist ideas is far more widespread. Among people under the age of 40, 27.3 per cent show openness to authoritarian or right-wing extremist positions. Including those with manifest right-wing extremist views, the study concludes that roughly one third of the younger generation is at least receptive to such ideas.

Antisemitism Has Risen Sharply

At the same time, the study records a marked increase in antisemitic attitudes in Germany. In 2021, 3.5 per cent of the population expressed manifest antisemitic views. By 2025, the figure had risen to 7.2 per cent. A further 7.3 per cent hold latent antisemitic attitudes.

Altogether, 14.5 per cent of the adult population are considered at least open to antisemitic prejudice. Here, too, clear differences emerge between social groups. Antisemitic attitudes are particularly widespread among Muslims. The share expressing manifest antisemitic positions has risen to 27.2 per cent, compared with 12.5 per cent four years earlier. The study states: ‘Antisemitic attitudes are particularly widespread among individuals with a Muslim religious affiliation.’ The increase is especially pronounced among younger Muslims. In that group, the share of manifest antisemitic attitudes rose from 11.3 per cent in 2021 to 29.1 per cent in 2025.

Researchers also link the sharp increase to the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas since October 2023. During that period, many European countries recorded a rise in antisemitic incidents.

Radicalization indicators according to MOTRA Monitor

Radicalisation Remains at a High Level

Overall, the report paints a sobering picture. Radicalisation in Germany remains at a ‘critically high level’, and there is so far no sign of a reversal of the trend.

The study points to several social developments that may encourage radicalisation. These include growing perceptions of crisis, economic uncertainty, migration issues and international conflicts. At the same time, many citizens report increasing distrust of state institutions. According to the study, more than half of the population express a sense of profound social insecurity.

Support for the democratic constitutional order nevertheless remains strong. Around 86 per cent of Germans continue to identify with the principles of liberal democracy. According to the researchers, radicalisation therefore does not arise from a general rejection of the political system but rather from specific social milieus and conflict situations.

Politically Motivated Crime Reaches Record Level

A worsening trend is also visible in criminal statistics. Politically motivated crime reached a new record in 2024, with more than 84,000 cases registered. Antisemitic offences in particular rose sharply. In total, 6,236 such crimes were recorded.

A large share of those offences is still attributed to the right-wing extremist spectrum. At the same time, however, the proportion of crimes linked to ‘foreign ideology’ or religiously motivated extremism is also increasing.

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More than 42,000 offences were classified as politically motivated crime from the right. Security authorities themselves note, however, that the statistics cannot always be interpreted unambiguously. The category often includes cases in which the perpetrator remains unknown and the classification is based on characteristics of the act, such as the use of certain symbols.

Critics have argued for years that the method can produce statistical distortions. For example, acts of vandalism involving right-wing extremist symbols whose perpetrators are unknown may automatically be attributed to the right-wing spectrum.

Radicalisation on Social Media

According to the researchers, digital communication spaces play an important role in these developments. Platforms such as TikTok, Telegram and Instagram increasingly form their own political spaces in which extremist content can achieve particularly wide reach.

Telegram often functions as a relatively closed infrastructure for ideologically committed groups. TikTok, by contrast, acts more as a distribution platform through which radical content can reach large audiences. In such digital environments, researchers observe the emergence of increasingly homogeneous information environments in which extremist worldviews reinforce one another.

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A Complex Picture

Overall, the MOTRA Monitor paints a complex picture of social radicalisation. On the one hand, a clear majority of the population remains committed to democratic values. On the other, radical attitudes are gaining ground within certain social groups.

The dynamic is particularly visible among younger people. Both authoritarian views within the right-wing extremist spectrum and sympathy for Islamist positions are increasing in this age group. For researchers, this represents a long-term challenge for politics and society. Radicalisation does not arise from a single ideological source but from a complex interaction of social conflicts, political polarisation and digital communication structures.