Wahl-O-Mat: 30 percent rethink your voice through the tool!

Wahl-O-Mat: 30 percent rethink your voice through the tool!

The Wahl-O-Mat, an online tool for comparing user positions with the positions of the parties headed for election, is becoming increasingly popular in Germany. According to a recent survey by the opinion research institute YouGov, 30 percent of users have already chosen differently than they originally intended. This shows that the tool can have a not inconsiderable influence on the election decision of the citizens, especially with regard to the upcoming elections in 2025.

In the survey, 18 percent of those surveyed stated that they had changed their opinion by the Wahl-O-Mat, while 12 percent even did this several times. There are 43 percent of those surveyed who have never changed their opinion, and 21 percent who have never used the Wahl-O-Mat. The online survey was carried out between February 7 and 9, 2025 and comprises 12,695 people in Germany aged 18 and over. The results are weighted and representative of the German population from the age of 18, such as ZVW reported.

influence on election decisions

The range of usage of the Wahl-O-Mat varies greatly according to age groups. For example, 59 percent of 18 to 29 year olds and only 32 percent of the over 70s used the tool. This illustrates a strong interest in younger voters in political education. According to the survey, 30 percent of the users state that the use of the election O-Mat has influenced their election decision "something" or "strong". It is noteworthy that 70 percent of the users report that the influence was low or not existing, which underlines the ambivalent role of the tool in political opinion formation, such as YouGov explained.

The interest in the Wahl-O-Mat is also reflected in the number of users. Since its introduction in 2002, the user has been in the same way, and there have been more than 21 million runs for the Bundestag election in 2021. Despite these figures, the influence of the tool on the actual election decision of the users is to be assessed as low. It is often determined that the Wahl-O-Mat confirms the existing preference of the users. Interestingly, 49 percent of users were surprised by the result of the election O-Mat, especially 60 percent of the SPD voters, while only 15 percent of the AfD voters expressed similar surprises, according to Rnd .

criticism and acceptance

The Wahl-O-Mat is operated by the Federal Center for Political Education and scientifically accompanied in cooperation with the Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf. Although it represents a valuable resource for interested voters, the benefits are also viewed critically. Critics complain that the theses are very shortened and that complex political issues do not fully map. In addition, the emphasis on differences between parties could influence the voters in its decision -making.

Overall, it can be seen that the Wahl-O-Mat plays a central role both as a tool for political will formation and as the subject of the discussion about political education in society. In the run -up to the elections, its importance will certainly continue to increase in the next few months.