According to a new Ipsos survey, public support for the federal government continues to dwindle. With the exception of a few members, nearly all cabinet ministers have seen a noticeable drop in favor, both compared to the last survey conducted in March and when looking at the longer-term trend since June 2025.
Current general satisfaction with the work of the federal government stands at only 17 percent in May, representing a 7 percentage point decline since March 2026. Prime Minister Friedrich Merz (CDU) follows a similar trend: the percentage of Germans satisfied with his work has also fallen by 7 percentage points, now standing at 18 percent.
Several ministries highlight sharp, short-term declines. Bärbel Bas (SPD), Minister of Labor, lost 10 percentage points compared to March, receiving positive ratings from only 19 percent of Germans. Lars Klingbeil (SPD), the Minister of Finance, and Thorsten Frei (CDU), the head of the Chancellery, each dropped 8 percentage points, reaching 20 percent and 22 percent, respectively. Katherina Reiche (CDU), Minister of Economics, also reported a 7 percentage point drop; currently, only 15 percent of respondents are satisfied with the work of the Minister of Economics and Energy-the lowest figure among the cabinet.
In contrast, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) managed to hold his ground against the general trend. He remains the most popular politician in the federal cabinet by a wide margin, with a satisfaction rating of 50 percent. Compared to March 2026, Pistorius recorded only a minimal decrease of 1 percentage point. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) ranks second with 30 percent support (a 2-point decline).
The trend of decline is even starker when examining the long-term figures from June 2025. Since taking office, the black-red federal government has plummeted from a satisfaction rate of 40 percent (June 2025) to the current 17 percent (May 2026)-a loss of 23 percentage points. Friedrich Merz lost 21 percentage points over the same period (from 39 percent to 18 percent). Similarly, Minister Reiche showed the steepest decline among cabinet members, dropping from 41 percent to 15 percent (-26 pp). Minister Klingbeil also experienced significant losses over the year, falling from 42 percent to 20 percent (-22 pp). Minister Bas’s satisfaction ratings dropped by 20 percentage points since the start of the measurement (from 39 percent to 19 percent). Even top performer Pistorius was affected by the overall downturn, with support dropping from 64 percent to 50 percent since June 2025 (-14 pp).
One year after taking office, the public recognition of many cabinet ministers remains largely unchanged. Boris Pistorius (4 percent unrecognized) and Lars Klingbeil (6 percent) are the most recognizable to the public. Development Minister Reem Alabali-Radovan (SPD) remains the least known, with about 32 percent of respondents stating they are unfamiliar with her-a figure nearly stable since June 2025.
Ipsos surveyed 1,000 eligible voters aged 18 to 75 online in Germany from May 8 to 10. The results were weighted by age, gender, education, region, and voting behavior during the last federal election.