According to a recent Ipsos survey compiled for “Bild am Sonntag”, the black-red federal government is facing significant public discontent, appearing even less popular than the current “traffic light” coalition. Overall, only 16 percent of respondents expressed satisfaction with the government’s work, while a sizable 76 percent reported dissatisfaction. For context, the “traffic light” coalition stood at 29 percent satisfaction and 64 percent dissatisfaction after one year in office.
Satisfaction levels are also scrutinized for individual political figures. CDU chairman Friedrich Merz received predominantly critical appraisals regarding his tenure as chancellor, with 19 percent satisfied and 71 percent dissatisfied. He considerably lags behind former chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose satisfaction rate stood at 32 percent and dissatisfaction at 58 percent after a year in office starting in December 2022.
The future stability of the coalition also appears uncertain. Only 24 percent of respondents believe that the alliance between the CDU/CSU and the SPD will last until the end of the 2029 election period; 58 percent do not anticipate this. The overall performance ratings for the current federal government are also weak: 4 percent gave it a “very good” 6 percent a “good” and 16 percent a “satisfactory”. Conversely, 15 percent rated the government’s work as “adequate” 25 percent as “poor” and 30 percent as “insufficient”.
In separate findings from the weekly “Sonntagstrend” survey by the Ipsos Institute, the AfD remains the strongest political force, maintaining 28 percent support compared to the previous week. The CDU/CSU follows closely with 24 percent. The SPD garnered 14 percent, the Greens clocked in at 13 percent (a gain of 1 percentage point), and the Left Party received 11 percent. The BSW and FDP each achieved 3 percent, with other parties combined accounting for 4 percent (a loss of 1 percentage point).