Elitenmonitor 2

The Elitenmonitor 2 project follows on from Elitenmonitor (2022–2025) and examines the continuing underrepresentation of East Germans in the German elite. The aim of the project, which is being carried out in collaboration with the University of Leipzig and the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, is to continuously record and analyse the composition of leadership positions in key social areas and sectors such as politics, administration, business, science, justice, culture and civil society on a broad empirical basis. The project combines scientific analysis with social and political transfer in order to provide reliable data on the development of the elite structure and to provide well-founded support for the public debate on fair participation and equal opportunities. In addition to continuing the monitoring, which is the responsibility of the University of Leipzig, the causes, mechanisms and consequences of underrepresentation are systematically examined and translated into action plans. Within the framework of this research project, the Trawos Institute focuses on the role of public discourse and, associated with this, the question of how social perceptions, attitudes and political willingness to support measures to reduce underrepresentation are influenced. The project has a modular structure and uses both existing and newly collected data to record and further develop empirical findings.

The underrepresentation of East Germans in leadership positions in society poses a major political and social challenge, as it points to unequal opportunities for advancement and limited opportunities for participation and social influence. Despite a slight increase in the proportion of East Germans in elite positions from 10.9 to 12.1 percent since 2018, representation remains well below the expected rate in relation to the population share, which is between 17.8 and 20.1 percent. The underrepresentation, which in some cases is stagnating at a low level or even declining, is particularly significant in the areas of business, culture, justice, the military and civil society. At the same time, the high turnover in elite positions in recent years shows that demographic change does not automatically lead to a reduction in the existing imbalance, contrary to widespread public perception. This circumstance weakens support for targeted countermeasures. Inadequate representation can impair institutional performance, as important perspectives and experiences are not taken into account, and contributes to a feeling of collective disadvantage among the groups affected.

The project's overarching goal is to provide scientific support and socio-political backing for the politically desired reduction of the underrepresentation of East Germans in elite positions. To this end, monitoring of the elite structure will be continued and supplemented with current, reliable data in order to provide robust data for public and political discourse and to highlight the need for action. A further objective is to raise awareness among decision-makers and relevant stakeholder groups of the structural causes and consequences of underrepresentation. Building on this, effective options for action are to be systematically prepared and supported in their practical implementation. In addition, the project, under the responsibility of the Trawos Institute, examines the course of public discourse and the effect of concrete interventions on perceptions and attitudes among the population. Overall, the project aims to deepen empirical knowledge and to strengthen political and social support for measures to promote equitable participation in the long term.

The study conducted by the Trawos Institute aims to analyse whether and how social and federal political initiatives have influenced public discourse on the underrepresentation of East Germans and the further shaping of German unity. The focus is on the question of when and in what form the topic has been taken up publicly, politically and in the media, and whether this has led to increased visibility and intensity in reporting and, consequently, in public debate. In addition, the study examines whether the public discourse has changed in terms of its view of East Germany, East Germans and the challenges of the further shaping of the (still ongoing) reunification process. In addition to the federal level, the analysis also includes state political (especially in eastern German states), scientific, mass media, cultural and artistic discourses and considers their mutual influence.

The project takes a discourse-analytical approach to investigating the emergence, shaping and mutual influence of public, political and scientific discourses on the underrepresentation of East Germans. The focus is on a targeted, discourse-linguistic analysis of the mass media and the political arena in the period from 2015 to 2025. To this end, contributions from selected print, television and social media formats as well as political documents such as party programmes, parliamentary debates, coalition agreements and legislative proposals are systematically recorded and evaluated. Based on the results, supplementary guided interviews are conducted with selected actors. Secondary analysis will incorporate findings from scientific and cultural-artistic discourse in order to identify interdiscursive effects between politics, media and science. The results will form the basis for a further impact analysis of the connections between political communication, media reporting and social attitudes.

The project, which will run from October 2025 to December 2028, was funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Eastern Germany.