A Glimpse of the Political Landscape
As the country prepares for the February 23 election, recent polls have been scrutinizing the shifting opinions of voters from last year, compared to the current trends. According to the results, the AfD remains the biggest beneficiary of the loss of trust in the traditional parties.
The SPD-affiliated RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND) compared the findings of major opinion research institutes, such as Forsa and Infratest dimap, to create a summary of the approval and disapproval rates, resulting in the “average of the past ten polls.” The outcome shows that the “strongest party in the Bund” remains the Union with 31.3% in the average of the past ten polls, followed by the AfD with 19.6%, the SPD with 16.1%, and the Greens with 12.9%.
The combined support for the traditional parties (CDU, SPD, and Greens) is currently at 33%, while the FDP and the Left would fail to clear the 5% threshold, with 4% and 3.3% of the vote, respectively.
Recent polls also indicate that the AfD is currently at 19% in the Bundestag election, with the BSW narrowly missing the 6% threshold, and the FDP struggling at 5%.
A table from the Welt.de website shows the developments in the polls since December last year and the 2021 Bundestag election results.
In a YouGov survey, 59% of respondents believed that Elon Musk’s endorsement of the AfD had helped the party, while 4% thought it had harmed the AfD, and 24% saw no impact. Thirteen percent were unsure.
Regarding the topic of foreign influence on the Bundestag election, specifically from the US, the results are:
* 50% see a small or very small influence, and 13% no influence at all.
* 27% believe the influence of the advisor to former US President Donald Trump is significant or very significant.
Forsa, in a survey for RTL and n-tv, also inquired about the trust in politicians and politicians’ work in the country. The results show:
* Only 22% of respondents trust the Chancellor, a decline of 53 percentage points from 2020.
* Only 22% trust the federal government, a decline of 41 percentage points from 2020.
* The Bundestag is trusted by 34% of respondents, a decline of 20 percentage points from 2020.
Bundespräsident Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) currently enjoys the trust of 61% of the population, a decline of 15 percentage points from 2020.
When asked about the feeling that prevails most in the new year regarding the future of German politics, 39% of respondents said they are “concerned” 15% are “frustrated” and 7% are “anxious.