'Feelings of being left behind' in rural areas?

• Election successes of the right-wing populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD) are partly attributed to ‘feelings of being left behind’ among the population in rural areas.
• This must be viewed in a more nuanced way: In the 2017 and 2021 federal elections, the AfD was successful in eastern Germany, especially in more rural areas, and in western Germany in more rural and non-rural areas; in very rural areas, the AfD tends to have lower results.
• Dissatisfaction in structurally weak areas is only associated with high AfD election results if a right-wing conservative interpretation of the problem situation prevails.