According to a new Ipsos poll released on Friday, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) is the only cabinet member whose work is still broadly welcomed by the public. 51 % of respondents say they are satisfied with him, while 49 % express dissatisfaction.
The satisfaction gap widens behind him: Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) sits at 32 %, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) at 31 %, and Chancellery Minister Thorsten Frei (CDU) at 30 %. In the next positions are:
– Labour Minister Bärbel Bas (SPD) – 29 %
– Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) – 28 %
– Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig (SPD) – 28 %
– Science Minister Dorothee Bär (CSU) – 27 %
– Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer (CSU) – 26 %
– Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU) – 26 %
– Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger (CDU) – 26 %
– Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (SPD) – 26 %
– Education Minister Karin Prien (CDU) – 25 %
Prime Minister Friedrich Merz (CDU) ranks 14th, with only 25 % of voters expressing satisfaction and 75 % dissatisfaction. Only four other ministers stay above the 20‑percent comfort level:
– Housing Minister Verena Hubertz (SPD) – 24 %
– Development‑Aid Minister Reem Alabali‑Radovan (SPD) – 24 %
– Economic Minister Katharina Reiche (CDU) – 22 %
– Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) – 22 %
When looking at the federal government as a whole, 24 % of Germans are happy with the performance of the coalition of the CDU/CSU and SPD, while 76 % are dissatisfied. Thus the collective rating falls slightly below the individual figures of many cabinet officials.
Ipsos conducted a quota‑sample online survey with 1,000 eligible voters aged 18 to 75 nationwide, weighted for age, sex, education level, region, and voting behaviour at the last federal election. The data were collected between 27 February and 1 March 2026.