Greater support for the AfD is accompanied by slower adoption of electric cars and photovoltaics
Freiburg, 23/09/2026
The rate at which low-emission technologies are adopted is also linked to political developments. This is shown in a new study from the Climate Action Research Lab (CARL) at the University of Freiburg. The findings were published in the journal Nature Sustainability.
A new study conducted by the Climate Action Research Lab (CARL) at the University of Freiburg demonstrates not only that electric cars and photovoltaic systems are less widespread on average in municipalities with high AfD support: The researchers also investigated how changes in political support within the same municipalities over time affect the subsequent adoption of these technologies. The key finding is that an increase in the Alternative for Germany’s (AfD) share of the vote is accompanied in the period that follows by a relatively slower adoption of electric cars and photovoltaic systems. The technologies still continue to spread, but the rate of adoption is slower.
‘The key point of our study is not only that low-emission technologies are adopted to varying degrees in regions with different political profiles’, says Dr. Moritz Wussow, director of CARL. ‘We also demonstrate that changes in political support are linked to the subsequent rate of technology adoption. Political polarization can therefore influence how quickly the energy transition reaches different segments of society.’
“The key point of our study is not only that low-emission technologies are adopted to varying degrees in regions with different political profiles’, says Dr. Moritz Wussow, director of CARL. ‘We also demonstrate that changes in political support are linked to the subsequent rate of technology adoption. Political polarization can therefore influence how quickly the energy transition reaches different segments of society.“
Dr. Moritz Wussow
Director of the Climate Action Research Lab (CARL), University of Freiburg
Electric cars are more politically polarizing than photovoltaics
The researchers conducted surveys as part of their study. They revealed that the further to the right respondents placed themselves on the political spectrum, the lower on average was their willingness to purchase electric cars or photovoltaic systems. This correlation was stronger for electric cars.
The difference was particularly marked between supporters of the Greens and the AfD for electric cars: Green Party supporters were 227 percent more likely than AfD supporters to state that they already owned an electric car or were planning to purchase one.
The differences were less pronounced for photovoltaics. For AfD supporters, the probability of using solar panels or planning to purchase them was 18 per cent lower than for a reference group with no preference for either the AfD or the Greens. This difference was not statistically significant. For Green Party supporters, the corresponding probability was 35 per cent higher than for the reference group.
The study did not investigate directly why electric cars are more strongly politicized than photovoltaics. According to the researchers, a possible explanation is that cars are perceived more strongly as an expression of social and political identity. In addition, photovoltaic systems have been established for longer on the mass market.
„Politische Polarisierung bedeutet nicht, dass sich diese Technologien in bestimmten Bevölkerungsgruppen überhaupt nicht durchsetzen“, sagt Co-Autor Benedikt Kau. „Entscheidend ist jedoch die Geschwindigkeit. Wenn sich Technologien in politisch unterschiedlich geprägten Kommunen unterschiedlich schnell verbreiten, können langfristig erhebliche Unterschiede entstehen.“
„Political polarization does not mean that these technologies fail to gain any acceptance at all in certain segments of the population’, says co-author Benedikt Kau. ‘However, the rate of adoption is crucial. If technologies are adopted at different rates in municipalities with different political environments, that can lead to significant differences in the long term.“
Benedikt Kau
Doctoral candidate at Climate Action Research Lab (CARL), University of Freiburg
Data from more than 10,700 municipalities and around 8,000 respondents
For their analysis, the researchers combined official data on photovoltaic systems and registered electric vehicles with election results as well as socioeconomic and infrastructural data from more than 10,700 German municipalities.
In particular, the researchers investigated changes within the same municipalities over time to ensure comparability, taking into account factors such as income, urbanization, and infrastructure.
In addition, they conducted three surveys involving a total of around 8,000 participants. The data collected included political orientation and party preference, income and education, and ownership of and intention to purchase the technologies under investigation.
‘By combining different empirical approaches, we can study the role of political ideology much more precisely than by simply comparing regions with different characteristics’, says Kau.
About the Climate Action Research Lab
The Climate Action Research Lab (CARL) is a multidisciplinary research group at the University of Freiburg’s Chair for Information Systems Research. The aim of the group is to develop and evaluate strategies for an effective and equitable transition to climate-resilient and carbon-neutral societies. Under the leadership of Dr. Moritz Wussow, CARL uses data-driven methods to investigate what factors determine the adoption of clean technologies and climate adaptation measures and how effective regulatory interventions are. Particular emphasis is placed on efficiency, distributional effects, and the role of political ideology and polarization in the energy transition.
Further information
- Original publication:
Reining, S., Wussow, M., Zanocco, C., Kau, B., Sousa-Silva, R., Köpke, C., Pathiraja, S., & Neumann, D. Far-right political support and clean technology adoption in Germany. Nature Sustainability (2026). https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-026-01935-3 - Dr. Moritz Wussow is the founder and director of the Climate Action Research Lab (CARL) at the University of Freiburg. He applies empirical methods to systematically investigate measures for climate protection and adaptation to climate change. His work focuses particularly on efficiency, distributional effects, and the behavioural mechanisms that influence such measures.
- Benedikt Kau is a doctoral candidate at CARL. His research examines the role of political polarization in the energy transition and the question of how the socio-political engagement of companies influences consumer behaviour in polarized markets.
- The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Freiburg, Stanford University, the University of Leiden, the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst Mach Institute, EMI, and the University of New South Wales.