Survey/ Concerns about the situation in Germany growing

2026-02-06 08:23:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

In the latest ARD-Deutschlandtrend poll, the SPD has surprisingly gained sympathy, while the CDU and CSU have somewhat lost support from citizens.

Slight losses for Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservatives, slight increase in support for the governing party, the Social Democrats. These are the main findings of a survey for the ARD-Deutschlandtrend show conducted by the infratest-dimap institute. On the other hand, an increasing number of people in Germany believe that there is injustice in the country, mainly because the gap between rich and poor is widening.

The conservatives are losing, as is the AfD, while the SPD is gaining ground

Once again, the ARD-Deutschlandtrend poll asked which party people would vote for if parliamentary elections were held next Sunday. The so-called "Sunday question" provides a good indication of how much support parties currently enjoy. At the beginning of February, the two conservative parties, the CDU and CSU, received 26 percent of the vote, a slight loss compared to the beginning of the year. The Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is considered partly far-right, also lost some support, but remained the second-strongest party with 24 percent. The Social Democrats, the junior coalition partner in the federal government, surprisingly gained two percent. The two opposition parties, the Greens and the Left Party, remained at their January levels.

Lars Klingbeil wins poll because of criticism of Trump?

It is worth noting that overall satisfaction with the government has increased slightly, albeit at a low level. The Social Democrats are benefiting, however, mainly because their party leader, Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, has enjoyed a significant increase in public popularity. The most highly regarded politician in Germany has been Defense Minister Boris Pistorius of the SPD for many months, who continues to be clearly in the lead. He is followed by Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU), then Klingbeil, who has gained five percent. Friedrich Merz is on 25 percent. Klingbeil recently took a tougher tone than the Chancellor regarding the often unpredictable policies of US President Donald Trump.

Concerns about the situation in Germany are growing

The Social Democrats are also supported by the growing public concern about the situation in Germany. In February, 62 percent of those surveyed believed that injustice was increasing in Germany. When asked why, most people in this group pointed out that the gap between rich and poor was widening. Thirteen percent more than in the previous survey believe that the burden of taxes and contributions is not distributed fairly. But only 9 percent, fewer than in the previous survey, believe that foreigners and asylum seekers are given preferential treatment compared to Germans. Twenty-four percent of those surveyed trust the Social Democrats more to ensure greater social justice. This is the highest figure of all parties.

Merz polarizes with criticism of part-time work

Earlier this year, a commission of experts presented the German government with a comprehensive catalogue of proposals for how the welfare state could be meaningfully modernized. These demands dominated the headlines for days.

The need to restructure the social system enjoys broad support: 71 percent of respondents said it would be useful if applications for social assistance and benefits could be made digitally. However, there was considerable criticism of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's statement that many people in Germany work part-time. Demands from the CDU that people should pay for their own dental visits also caused great criticism. This may also explain the decline in the percentage of sympathy for the conservatives.

For the ARD-Deutschland Trend survey, infratest-Dimap interviewed approximately 1,300 citizens between February 2 and 4./ DW