Die Leserschaft des "Stürmer" im Dritten Reich: soziale Zusammensetzung und antisemitische Orientierungen

Abstract

'On the basis of a secondary analysis of a nationwide face-to-face survey of the 'Institut für Demoskopie' from 1949 (N=1.915) it is analyzed how many Germans ever read the Nazi-weekly 'Der Stürmer' in times of the Third Reich and what kind of attitudes went along with it. It is shown that a majority ever read articles in the paper, often in a notice board erected in public spaces. Men and higher educated had a disproportionate share among the readers; the major reason for it is to be seen in their general use of mass media. Whoever read the 'Stürmer' had a higher chance than others to have anti-Semitic attitudes in times of the survey. Furthermore men more often had anti-Semitic attitudes than females and younger more often than older people. With regard to education the relationship was less clear cut. However, one thing can be taken for granted: whether higher educated people endorse prejudice more often than other educational groupings is not a matter of cognitive competence, but a function of historical circumstances.' (author's abstract)|