1994 - Opinion Leaders are in the Vanguard

At the start of the 1994, it seemed certain that the government would change hands when the election was held on October 16. The opposition parties at the time, the Social Democrats and the Alliance ’90/the Greens, had a clear and stable lead over the government coalition, consisting of the Christian Democrats and the Free Democrats (FDP). Opinion leaders were split down the middle, with roughly the same percentage supporting each of the two major political parties. Starting in mid-May 1994, however, the Christian Democrats suddenly surpassed the Social Democrats among opinion leaders, a trend that was not observed among the remaining population until early July.