Yesterday’s election in Sachsen-Anhalt stayed with me. The AfD received 43.8% of the vote across the state: a remarkable political shift. And it made me think, perhaps unsurprisingly, not first about party politics, but about universities.

Sachsen-Anhalt is home to institutions such as Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, with its long academic history and international scientific community. Even within a university city such as Halle, the electoral map tells very different stories: AfD support ranged from 18.3% in one constituency (where the University Campus is located) to more than 41% in others. It is a striking reminder that the social environment surrounding a university may look very different only a few kilometres beyond its walls. That contrast raises a question I have been thinking about for years. Universities can be remarkably open places. Within academia, ideally, an idea can become more important than the name, accent, face or origin of the person presenting it. But our lives do not end at the university gate. We live among neighbours. Our children go to local schools. We speak, or struggle to speak, the local language. We shop, commute, make friends and try to become part of communities that may experience “belonging” very differently from our professional environment.

Having lived and worked in both Germany and Denmark, I have learned that integration is neither linear nor easily measurable. A successful academic career does not automatically mean feeling equally accepted in the society around you. This is why the election in Sachsen-Anhalt concerns me beyond party politics. I understand that many people are frustrated with established politics and tired of promises that seem repetitive or disconnected from everyday problems. Understanding that frustration is important. But so is asking what happens when frustration increasingly finds its expression at the political extremes. And here I think academia has a question to ask itself:

What is the responsibility of universities when the society outside their walls becomes increasingly polarised?

Science should not tell people how to vote. Universities should not become political parties. But neither can academic freedom, internationalisation and diversity be taken for granted. They depend, ultimately, on the society in which our universities exist. Perhaps we therefore need to look beyond our campuses more often. Because the freedom to think differently inside a university also depends on our ability to live differently outside it.

Esbjerg 07 September 2026