The latest Ipsos survey, published on Friday, shows that German defence minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) is the only cabinet member whose performance satisfies a majority of the public. 51 % of respondents are happy with him, while 49 % are dissatisfied.
Only about a third of Germans are satisfied with the work of any other minister: foreign minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) leads the rest with 32 %, followed by interior minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) at 31 % and chancellor‑office minister Thorsten Frei (CDU) at 30 %. The next rankings are:
” labour minister Bärbel Bas (SPD) – 29 % satisfied
” finance minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) – 28 % satisfied
” justice minister Stefanie Hubig (SPD) – 28 % satisfied
” science minister Dorothee Bär (CSU) – 27 % satisfied
” agriculture minister Alois Rainer (CSU) – 26 % satisfied
” transport minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU) – 26 % satisfied
” digital minister Karsten Wildberger (CDU) – 26 % satisfied
” environment minister Carsten Schneider (SPD) – 26 % satisfied
” education minister Karin Prien (CDU) – 25 % satisfied
Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) ranks 14th: 25 % of voters feel satisfied with him, 75 % are dissatisfied. Following him are only four ministers: housing minister Verena Hubert (SPD) and development‑aid minister Reem Alabali‑Radovan (SPD) both at 24 %, then economy minister Katherina Reiche (CDU) and health minister Nina Warken (CDU) each at 22 %.
Overall, the coalition government – comprising CDU/CSU and SPD – receives a satisfaction rate of 24 % across the board, leaving 76 % of voters dissatisfied. Thus the administration performs slightly worse on average than its individual members.
The Ipsos poll was based on an online, weighted survey of 1,000 eligible voters aged 18-75 in Germany, conducted from 27 February to 1 March 2026. Weighting adjusted for age, sex, education, region and voting behaviour at the last federal election.
