Olaf Scholz Lags Behind in Public Approval Ranking
The Federal German Cabinet, as a whole, received poor marks in a recent survey conducted by the Forsa institute for RTL/ntv. The survey revealed that majority of Germans consider the ongoing budget crisis an embarrassment, with the Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, ranking last in public approval.
At the halfway point of the traffic light system, a majority of Germans have given poor evaluations to their federal cabinet members. According to the RTL/ntv trend barometer survey, almost all cabinet members received worse ratings at the end of the year compared to their ratings in December 2022.
Notable Declines in Ratings
Federal Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, suffered the most significant loss, with a 17-point drop in her approval rating. Her current approval rate of 20% is much lower than her previous rating of 37% in December 2022.
Federal Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, suffered a 13-point decline in her approval rating, now standing at 42%, down from her previous score of 55%. Federal Economics Minister, Robert Habeck, saw a 10% decrease in his approval ratings, now at 39%, compared to his previous rating of 49%.
Minor Differences for Finance Minister Lindner
Federal Finance Minister, Christian Lindner, experienced only a minor decrease in approval ratings, dropping from 42% to 40%. However, there has been a significant increase in the number of Germans who consider him unsuitable as Financial Minister, rising from 44% to 54%.
Scholz at the Bottom
Out of all cabinet members, only six have a positive index, meaning more Germans consider them suitable than unsuitable for their role. Unfortunately, for Chancellor Olaf Scholz, he ranks last, with an index score of -54. This means that only 19% of Germans consider him suitable for his role, while 73% consider him unsuitable.
Fairly Known Cabinet Members
The survey revealed that the majority of Germans are aware of most cabinet members, with 99% recognizing well-known figures like Annalena Baerbock, Robert Habeck, and Christian Lindner. However, Chancellery Minister Wolfgang Schmidt is only known by 50% of Germans, while other members like Lisa Paus and Karl Lauterbach also saw increased recognition.
Budget Crisis as a Source of Embarrassment
The still unresolved budget crisis is likely a major reason for the poor ratings given to cabinet members. Germans have mixed feelings about the government's failure to reach an agreement on the 2024 federal budget, with only 22% expressing understanding and 75% seeing it as an embarrassment for the government.
Union Slightly Gains Ground
The CDU/CSU made small gains in the weekly trend barometer, while other parties remained unchanged. As a result, the CDU/CSU now has 31% support, a slight increase from their previous 24.1% in the 2021 Bundestag election.
Lindner's Rating Challenges
Christian Lindner's ratings have been challenging in recent times. He has struggled to maintain his approval rating in the face of ongoing government conflicts and controversies. Despite these challenges, he remains one of the more well-known figures in German politics.
Sources:
- Forsa Institute (2022, December 5-11):
- Forsa Institute (2023, December 8-11):
- Forsa Institute (2023, December 6-11):
Enrichment Insights:
- Forsa is an independent market and opinion research institute headquartered in Berlin, Germany. They specialize in gathering data on various political, economic, and societal topics.[1]
- Forsa conducts regular surveys for RTL Germany to monitor public opinions on various topics, including politicians' performance and party support. The surveys use representative sampling techniques to collect data from a large and diverse group of Germans.[1]
- In the context of the German political landscape, the RTL/ntv trend barometer survey data can be used to monitor and analyze the popularity of various cabinet members and political parties. This information can contribute to understanding public sentiment and potential election results.[1]
[1] Forsa Institute. About Forsa [Online]. Available from: [Accessed December 21, 2023]
