According to the latest ZDF’s Politbarometer, the German citizens are “rather ambivalent” about the recently agreed-upon coalition between CDU, CSU and SPD. The poll showed that 51% of the respondents are skeptical about the coalition’s ability to solve Germany’s problems, with 35% expecting an improvement in the economic situation and 19% predicting a deterioration. Despite this, 55% of the respondents are in favor of a future coalition, while 29% are against it. Additionally, 56% expect the coalition to work well together, while 37% do not.
The public’s perception of the previous coalition negotiations has also changed, with 39% now believing that the CDU/CSU was able to secure better positions, while 36% believe that the SPD did so.
The poll also highlights the growing influence of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which recently topped the polls with 25%, surpassing the Union parties with a combined 24%. The majority of Germans attribute the AfD’s success to dissatisfaction with other parties, rather than their own political stance. The Ipsos Institute’s recent survey also shows similar results, with the CDU/CSU at 26%, the AfD at 24% and the SPD at 15%.
In terms of the public’s view of politicians, the survey shows that the Unions’ leader and potential future Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has the lowest approval rating, with only 0.8 out of 5. Boris Pistorius, the Minister of Defense and a member of the SPD, leads with an average score of 1.9. The remaining top four are Gregor Gysi (Linke) with 0.9, Lars Klingbeil (SPD) with 0.5 and Robert Habeck (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) with -0.1.
Regarding the US’s recent imposition of tariffs on European products, the poll found that 80% of respondents believe that it will harm Germany’s economy significantly, while only 17% think it will have a minor or no impact. Additionally, 58% believe that President Trump’s economic and tariff policies will lead to a global economic crisis, while 35% doubt this.
In response to the US’s actions, 33% of respondents support high counter-tariffs, while 62% advocate for negotiations with President Trump.