According to a recent poll conducted by Infratest for the WDR magazine “Westpol,” the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) has experienced significant losses for the second consecutive time. The CDU now holds 32 percent of the vote, a three percentage point decline from February. This marks a sharp drop, especially compared to their peak of 40 percent achieved earlier in the legislative period in October 2024.
The Social Democratic Party (SPD), led by challenger Jochen Ott, is unable to narrow its gap with the Minister-President’s party. The Social Democrats have also lost three points, dropping to 17 percent. This places them close to a record low in the NRW trend recorded a year ago (16 percent in June 2025).
Meanwhile, the Greens, a smaller coalition partner in Düsseldorf, are gaining ground, rising to 15 percent (+2). The Alternative for Germany (AfD) has also seen gains, reaching 17 percent (+2), which represents their best score in the NRW trend. As a result, the AfD is now tied with the SPD in NRW and is jointly recognized as the second strongest political force alongside the Social Democrats.
The Free Democratic Party (FDP) has once again reached the five percent threshold, an increase of one point since April 2024. The Left Party would also remain in the state parliament with an unchanged six percent. All other parties combined account for eight percent (+1).
In terms of public satisfaction, approval of the state government’s work has dropped significantly since February. Only 42 percent of respondents are satisfied, while 53 percent are dissatisfied. Similarly, the performance of Minister-President Wüst has been judged more negatively than in February: 42 percent are satisfied (-3), versus 40 percent who are dissatisfied (+2).
Infrastructure and transport issues, including public transport and local traffic, have supplanted migration as the most pressing political topic in NRW. Thirty-one percent of respondents cited this area as one of the most urgent problems to solve, which is five percentage points higher than in February.
The second most cited issue is school and education, at 24 percent (+3). The long-standing topic of migration remains one of the most critical problems for 20 percent of respondents, though this figure declined by six points. Social inequality ranks fourth with an unchanged twelve percent of mentions. Equally significant are the topics of the economy (-3), housing (-1), pensions (+5), and environment/climate protection (+2).
Infrastructure damage and related disruptions to road traffic affect one in four residents of NRW on a typical weekday (26 percent of voters). Among employed people in NRW, this figure rises to one in three (33 percent).
Despite the economy not making it into the top three issues among voters, the weak economic outlook is heavily influencing public sentiment. Only 22 percent of voters assess the condition of the NRW economy as very good or good, nine percentage points less than a year ago. In contrast, three-quarters (74 percent, +9) evaluate it as less good or bad. This proportion is similar to when the Euro crisis hit at the beginning of the 2010s. Furthermore, job security concerns among employed people in NRW are increasing; currently, 16 percent express worries, six percentage points more than a year prior.
The reduction of bureaucracy at federal and state levels remains a high political priority. However, public perception shows that these initiatives have had little effect so far: Similar to the situation two years ago, only six percent report progress in reducing bureaucracy in Germany (unchanged compared to April 2024). Forty-nine percent report that Germany is progressing too slowly, and another 40 percent see no progress at all.
Rising prices have made summer holidays more expensive in many areas. One in four residents of NRW is reconsidering their holiday plans due to cost (25 percent want to travel cheaper or cancel entirely). Forty percent are sticking to their original plans, while one in three (33 percent) had not planned a summer trip in the first place. Those aged 65 and over are disproportionately represented in this third group.
The NRW trend was surveyed from June 22 to June 25, involving a total of 1,139 voters via telephone (669) and online (470).
