Elitenmonitor 2

The “Elitenmonitor 2” project builds on the “Elitenmonitor” (2022–2025) and examines the ongoing underrepresentation of East Germans in Germany’s elite circles. The goal of the project, which is being carried out in collaboration with the University of Leipzig and Friedrich Schiller University Jena, is to continuously document and analyze, on a broad empirical basis, the composition of leadership positions in key societal areas and sectors such as politics, public administration, business, academia, the judiciary, culture and civil society. The project combines scientific analysis with societal and political impact to provide reliable data on the development of elite structures and to provide well-founded support for the public debate on equitable participation and equal opportunity. In addition to continuing the monitoring—for which the University of Leipzig is responsible—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, consequently, on the question of how societal perceptions, attitudes, and political support for measures aimed at reducing underrepresentation are influenced. The project has a modular structure and uses both existing and newly collected data to gather 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 shaping society. Despite a slight increase in the proportion of East Germans in elite positions—from 10.9 to 12.1 percent since 2018—their representation remains well below the expected rate relative to their share of the population, which ranges from 17.8 to 20.1 percent. This underrepresentation—which in some cases has stagnated at a low level or is even declining—is particularly significant in the fields of business, culture, the judiciary, 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 existing inequalities, contrary to the widespread assumption in public perception. This circumstance weakens support for targeted countermeasures. Insufficient representation can impair institutional effectiveness, as important perspectives and experiences are overlooked and contributes to a sense of collective disadvantage among the affected groups.

The project’s overarching goal is to provide scholarly guidance and sociopolitical support for the politically driven effort to reduce the underrepresentation of East Germans in elite positions. To this end, monitoring of elite structures will continue and be supplemented with current, reliable data in order to provide robust data for public and political discourse and to highlight the need for action. Another objective is to raise awareness among decision-makers and relevant stakeholder groups regarding the structural causes and consequences of this underrepresentation. Building on this, effective courses of action will be systematically identified 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 impact of specific interventions on public perceptions and attitudes. Overall, the project aims both to deepen empirical knowledge and to sustainably strengthen political and societal support for measures promoting equitable participation.

The study at the Trawos Institute aims to analyze whether and in what ways social and federal political initiatives have influenced public discourse on the underrepresentation of East Germans and the future shape of German unity. The focus is on the question of when and in what form the topic has been addressed in public, political and media discourse and whether this has led to increased visibility and intensity in media coverage and consequently, in the public debate. Furthermore, the study examines whether the perspective on East Germany, East Germans and the challenges of shaping the (still ongoing) reunification process has changed in public discourse. In addition to the federal level, the analysis also incorporates state-level political discourse (particularly in eastern German states), as well as academic, mass media, cultural and artistic discourses and examines how these influence one another.

The project takes a discourse-analytic approach to examining the emergence, structure and mutual influence of public, political and academic discourses on the underrepresentation of East Germans. At its core is a focused, discourse-linguistic analysis of the mass media and the political arena from 2015 to 2025. To this end, contributions from selected print, television and social media formats, as well as political documents such as party platforms, parliamentary debates, coalition agreements and proposed legislation, will be systematically collected and evaluated. Based on these findings, guided interviews with selected actors will be conducted as a supplementary measure. Findings from academic and cultural-artistic discourse are incorporated through secondary analysis to identify interdiscursive effects between politics, the media and academia. The results form the basis for a further impact analysis of the interrelationships between political communication, media coverage and societal attitudes.

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