Do differences in religious socialization between East and West Germany lead to different voting decisions of German Christians?

For the first time, German right-wing voters have an option at the voting booth besides the Christian CDU, since the AFD made it to parliament. Latest election results show that citizens of the German East are the main supporters of the right-wing populist party AFD. As the differences in voting behaviour are characterized by the old borders, contextual differences may explain the phenomenon. One obvious difference is the lived religiosity. Christians are theorized as being right-wing voters, and the different religious socializations are characteristic of the German East West divide. In the following, it is researched if these differences may influence the voting decision of German Christians. Therefore, it is theorized how Christianity leads to a right-wing vote and why westerners are more likely to vote for the CDU. In line with previous research, church attendance is expected to have a moderating effect on the relationship between a CDU vote and Christians. In contrast, easterners are less likely to vote for the CDU, because of less attachment to Christianity and the CDU. After interpreting the results of the multinomial regression on EVS data, it is found that only Christianity has an impact on voting for the CDU over AFD. Different religious socializations are not accountable for different voting decisions, nor is any effect moderated by church attendance.