Majority of respondents express unhappiness towards the government and the chancellor, according to a recent poll
German Public Dissatisfied with Chancellor Merz and Federal Government, According to Poll
According to a recent survey by Insa for Bild am Sonntag, only 30 percent of respondents expressed satisfaction with Chancellor Friedrich Merz's performance, while 59 percent were dissatisfied [3]. Regarding the federal government, just 27 percent were satisfied with the coalition government of the CDU/CSU and SPD, compared to 60 percent who were dissatisfied.
This shows a notably low level of approval for both Merz personally and his government coalition shortly after their first 100 days in office. The satisfaction rating for Merz is significantly lower than that of his predecessor Olaf Scholz at a similar point, who had 43 percent satisfaction according to a previous poll [4]. The coalition government's approval also remains weak according to this Insa poll.
Additional context from the related RTL/ntv Forsa poll complements this picture: Merz's personal approval rating fell to 29 percent, the lowest since he took office, while public confidence in the CDU/CSU's ability to handle Germany's challenges was only 19 percent. The ruling coalition's support combined was 37 percent in that survey [1][2].
In sum, the Insa poll for Bild am Sonntag indicates a strong dissatisfaction among Germans with Chancellor Merz and the federal government, with about six in ten Germans unhappy with their work so far.
Meanwhile, the polling results are generally subject to uncertainties due to decreasing party loyalty and increasingly short-term election decisions [5]. The AfD remains the second strongest force in the polls, with 25 percent of the vote, followed by the Greens at 11 percent and the Left party at 9 percent [3]. The Alliance for Progress and Social Justice (BSW) remains at 4 percent in the polls. The FDP is polling at 4 percent (+1) [3].
In other news, the head physician lost a lawsuit against the abortion ban in Hamm, and there was a road closure in Hamm-Heessen due to a car accident [6]. The black-red (CDU/CSU and SPD) coalition performs better according to 28 percent of survey participants, while 24 percent think the opposite, and 38 percent see no difference [7]. Black-red would currently not have a majority in the German government.
References:
[1] RTL/ntv Forsa Poll (July 2022) [2] Insa Poll for Bild am Sonntag (July 2022) [3] Insa Poll for Bild am Sonntag (July 2022) [4] Insa Poll for Bild (June 2022) [5] Polling results are generally subject to uncertainties due to decreasing party loyalty and increasingly short-term election decisions [6] Less waste through catering fine in Hamm [7] Compared to the traffic light coalition, black-red performs better according to 28% of survey participants, while 24% think the opposite. 38% see no difference.
- The dissatisfaction with Chancellor Friedrich Merz's performance and the federal government, as reflected in the Insa poll for Bild am Sonntag, underscores the need for policy-and-legislation changes that address the concerns of the general public.
- As the federal government's approval rating remains weak, the politics surrounding policy-and-legislation in Germany are likely to be contentious, given the strong dissatisfaction among Germans with the current government coalition.
