Einstellungen zur Mitbestimmung der Arbeitnehmer – Welchen Einfluss haben Mitbestimmungserfahrungen?

One of the factors influencing the stability of codetermination within the workforce (at plant and company level) is how people evaluate codetermination. The article examines the attitudes of the working population in Germany towards co-determination and the extent to which experiences with co-determination and political socialisation affect these attitudes. The analysis is based on data taken from a telephone survey in Germany and concentrates on a subsample (n = 1,904) of the active workforce. The results show, first, that the majority of the respondents has a very positive attitude towards co-determination. Second, we find considerable differences in the attitudes: Above all, current and former works council members and unionised employees have a more positive attitude. In contrast, employers with five or more employees have a significantly less positive attitude and sometimes even a clearly negative attitude. In a political sense, our findings suggest giving as many employees as possible the opportunity to gain positive experiences in codetermination.