German Poll: Germans Strongly Demand Reform

According to the Munich "Merkur," a new major poll reveals that Germans strongly demand reform. Meanwhile, due to the prolonged delay in implementing reforms, most people are dissatisfied with the government. Opposition and concerns toward the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and its leaders remain high.

However, most Germans do not believe the federal government will launch necessary reforms in the short term as promised. According to ZDF's "Political Barometer," the government led by Merz (CDU) continues to hold historically low approval ratings.

The majority of respondents believe Germany urgently needs fundamental reform, but only one in four believes the government will take action soon. According to a ZDF poll released on Friday, May 22nd, 75% of respondents do not expect the black-red coalition to propose tax, labor market, or pension reform measures before summer, while only 24% hold the opposite view. Moreover, dissatisfaction with Merz’s government remains high.

71% of respondents rated government performance as "not good," compared to just 25% who said it was "good." Regarding Chancellor Merz’s performance, 26% expressed satisfaction, while 71% judged it as poor. On the willingness to reform, 89% consider structural reform in Germany extremely important—even if it means increased fiscal burden or spending cuts—while only 9% deem it unimportant.

At the same time, confidence in societal willingness to reform is very low: only 23% believe German society has strong overall reform enthusiasm, while 75% disagree. On an individual level, only 3% of respondents were willing to bear a "very large burden" for reform, 29% were willing to bear a "significant burden," 43% a "small burden," and 23% were unwilling to bear any burden at all.

If a German federal election were held today, the CDU/CSU would secure only 24% (down 1 percentage point), their lowest figure in four years. AfD also declined by 1 percentage point but still leads with 26%. The SPD remains stable at 12%, its historical low; the Greens rose to 15% (+2); the Left Party holds at 12% (+1); and the FDP remains unchanged at 3%. Under these results, the current black-red coalition would fail to gain a parliamentary majority.

This poll is considered explosive partly because rising dissatisfaction with the government has intensified discussions about early elections. Should new elections be held, forming a government would be extremely difficult—even under the current political landscape, the centrist bloc might only manage to form a government through a three-party alliance of "CDU/CSU + SPD + Greens."

Regarding the four state elections scheduled for autumn, if AfD were to become the first party to govern a federal state, 67% of respondents believe this would harm Germany, 20% think it would benefit the country, and 11% are indifferent. Among AfD supporters, 88% consider this a positive development. If AfD governs in an eastern German state, 65% believe it would have a negative impact on Germany as a whole, 16% see a positive effect, and 15% think the impact would be negligible. Additionally, 72% believe AfD poses a threat to democracy.

Politician Rankings: Overall decline, Weidel still last. In the top ten list, most politicians saw their scores drop to the lowest levels. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius remains at the top with a score of 1.3 (on a scale from +5 to -5). Second place goes to Baden-Württemberg’s Minister-President Cem Özdemir, scoring 1.0. Chancellor Merz dropped to -1.7, marking one of his worst records; Economy Minister Katherina Reiche also scored -1.7. AfD Chairperson Alice Weidel remains at the bottom with a score of -2.6.

The survey was conducted by the "Election Research Group" in Mannheim from May 19 to 21, 2026, using random sampling via phone and online methods among 1,340 eligible voters. The results are representative, with a margin of error of approximately 2 to 3 percentage points.

Recent polls indicate that support for the AfD has now risen to first place. Support for the CDU and its sister party CSU, led by Chancellor Merz, has fallen to second place. Merz’s personal approval rating has hit historic lows and shows no sign of recovery.

Source: rfi

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1866118907277380/

Disclaimer: This article reflects the personal views of the author.