Support for Merz in Germany falls to record low

Support for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has dropped to the lowest level ever recorded in ARD-DeutschlandTrend for a sitting head of government. At the same time, the CDU/CSU bloc received one of its worst results in this survey in the past five years.

This is evidenced by a new poll by the Infratest dimap institute, conducted for ARD and published on October 1. The data is also cited by Welt.

Only 10% of respondents said they were satisfied with Merz's work as chancellor. This is the lowest figure for a head of government in the history of ARD-DeutschlandTrend. In September, 13% of respondents were satisfied with his work.

The share of Germans satisfied with the work of the federal government as a whole also fell to 10%. This figure also became a historic low for the survey.

The drop in ratings is also reflected in the standing of the ruling CDU/CSU bloc. If Bundestag elections were held next Sunday, 20% of survey participants would vote for it—one percentage point less than in September. The CDU/CSU alliance previously showed such a low result in ARD-DeutschlandTrend only in September 2021.

The Alternative for Germany received the highest support in the poll—27%, unchanged from the previous month. The Greens gained one point to reach 16%, the Social Democratic Party held at 13%, and the Left Party fell one point to 11%. The Free Democratic Party received 4%, which would not be enough to clear the five-percent threshold.

The poll also shows widespread dissatisfaction with the socio-economic situation. 77% of respondents said they feel an increasing financial burden, despite the government's promises of relief. Almost half fear they will not be able to maintain their current standard of living in the future.

The government is also expected to take more active steps to reduce high energy prices: 74% of respondents consider the measures taken insufficient. Attitudes toward the introduced reduction of the energy tax on gasoline and diesel are almost evenly split—47% support the decision, 46% are against.

The survey was conducted from September 28 to 30 among 1,303 eligible voters in Germany. Respondents were interviewed by phone and online. The statistical margin of error is about two percentage points for values around 10% and about three points for values near 50%.

Based on materials from: ARD / Tagesschau, Welt