Analysis: Women voted CDU and men AfD

Women and men voted very differently in the recent state elections in Saxony. According to representative election statistics, almost 37 percent of men voted for the AfD and around 28 percent for the CDU, as well as 11 percent for the BSW, 7 percent for the SPD and 5.3 percent for the Greens. Among women, the CDU (35.4 percent) was almost eleven percentage points ahead of the AfD (24.8 percent), while the Left Party and the Greens only accounted for five percent each. The SPD was voted for by 7.7 percent and the BSW by 12.9 percent - similar to men.

Most CDU, Left Party, SPD and BSW voters are female

According to the analysis, the AfD electorate (58.6 percent) consisted mainly of men, while the CDU (56.8 percent), Left Party (57.4 percent), SPD (53.5 percent) and BSW (56.0 percent) were mostly women - with the Greens, however, they were almost evenly balanced.

AfD scored points across almost all age groups

Compared to the 2019 vote, the CDU made significant gains among voters under 25 and over 70 (plus 5 percentage points each), but lost ground among female voters aged 25 to 35 and 35 to under 45. The AfD, on the other hand, scored points among almost all age groups, most strongly among voters under 18 (12.0 percentage points). There, the Greens lost the most votes (minus 9.8 percentage points) - and almost 18 percentage points among female voters.

The random sample, on the basis of which the projection for the Free State was compiled, included 109 polling districts and 23 postal voting districts in the state election on September 1. The voting behavior of a good four percent of eligible voters in around three percent of the electoral districts was thus examined in more detail. The CDU narrowly won with almost 32% of the list vote, which corresponds to a drop of 0.2% compared to 2019. The AfD gained a good three percentage points to 30.6%. The BSW came in at 11.8 percent, the SPD achieved 7.3 percent and the Greens 5.1 percent.