Declining Trust between Rich and Poor: both AfD and Union express agreement on this growing concern
In the latest Forsa-Politiker-Ranking, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has once again been crowned as the most trusted politician in the German government. Pistorius, who leads with a trust score of 61 points, is significantly ahead of other politicians, including Hendrik Wüst and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who trail behind with 53 points each [1][2][3][4].
The rankings reflect a broad confidence in Pistorius, stemming from his perceived reliability and strong performance in office. His trust rating is notably high even among supporters of his own SPD party, with an impressive 82 points [3].
In contrast, other government members such as Economics Minister Katherina Reiche and Union faction leader Jens Spahn have seen considerable declines in trust, which further highlights Pistorius's relative popularity [1][3].
The RTL/ntv-Trendbarometer, collected between July 29 and August 4, shows a clear majority (81%) of Germans finding it wrong to raise the statutory retirement age to 70 in light of demographic change, while only 18% find such an increase right [5]. This sentiment is reflected in Chancellor Friedrich Merz's decreasing approval, with 32% approving of his performance and 64% being dissatisfied, a decrease of one percentage point compared to last week [6].
The Union and the AfD are tied in the RTL/ntv-Trendbarometer, both at 25%, while the Greens and the Left remain at 12% and 13% respectively [7]. The Union loses three percentage points compared to last week, with only one fifth (20%) of Germans trusting the Union to cope with Germany's problems [8].
The data for the opinions on the retirement age of 70 were collected from August 1 to 4, and the statistical error tolerances were plus/minus 3 percentage points [9]. Three times as many (59%) expect a deterioration, and 20% expect no change in the economic situation [10]. The share of non-voters and undecided is 24%, significantly higher than the share of non-voters in the last federal election (17.9%) [11].
The sample sizes for the RTL/ntv Trendbarometer, Politician Ranking, and opinions on the retirement age of 70 were 2503, 1503, and 1001 respondents, respectively [12]. Further information on Forsa can be found here.
Sources:
- ntv.de
- lve
- [1], [2], [3], [4]
- Forsa-Politiker-Ranking
- Data for the RTL/ntv Trendbarometer
- Data for Chancellor Friedrich Merz's approval
- Data for the RTL/ntv-Trendbarometer
- Data for the Union's competence
- Data for opinions on the retirement age of 70
- Data for the economic situation
- Data for the share of non-voters and undecided
- Data for the sample sizes
- The political discourse surrounding the final Proposal for a Council Regulation (EEC) amending Regulation (EEC) No 1408/71 on the application of social security schemes could significantly influence the general news and policy-and-legislation landscape, given the importance of the proposed changes to self-employed persons within the EEC.
- In light of the significantly high trust levels for Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in the German government, politics might experience a shift in dynamics, especially if other politicians struggle to gain comparable levels of confidence from the public, as seen in the case of economists Katherina Reiche and Union faction leader Jens Spahn.
