Holger Lengfeld

Prof. Dr. Holger Lengfeld is a Professor and Principal Investigator at the Research Institute for Social Cohesion (FGZ), Leipzig location, affiliated with the University of Leipzig. He serves as Member of the Data Committee at FGZ Leipzig, overseeing national research infrastructure for social cohesion studies.

His research centers on social cohesion dynamics in contemporary Germany, with particular expertise in right-wing populism (especially AfD voter behavior), political polarization, inequality, and racism. Using rigorous quantitative methodologies, he investigates how democratic institutions withstand societal transformations through projects like A_02 on voting behavior and LEI_F_06 on cultural divisions. His work consistently bridges theoretical frameworks with empirical analysis of large-scale survey data.

Prof. Lengfeld's recent publications (2021-2024) demonstrate a cohesive research trajectory centered on the German Social Cohesion Panel, analyzing AfD voter irreversibility, European solidarity divides, and disconnected living environments. His output reveals a methodological signature: transforming complex survey data into policy-relevant insights about democratic resilience, with consistent focus on German societal fragmentation and populism's structural drivers.

Scientific Awards: None listed in available documentation.

He currently leads four major FGZ projects with significant policy implications: A_02 (democratic trust), INRA_B11 (ethnic prejudice in federal agencies), INRA_A06 (public service employee surveys), and LEI_F_06 (populism drivers). While specific student supervision details aren't published, his Principal Investigator role at FGZ Leipzig indicates active mentorship of graduate researchers in quantitative sociology.

As core faculty at the University of Leipzig's sociology ecosystem, Prof. Lengfeld shapes national discourse through the FGZ's research infrastructure. His Data Committee role ensures methodological rigor across Germany's social cohesion studies, while his German Social Cohesion Panel publications establish foundational datasets for tracking societal fragmentation in real-time.