The AfD continues to expand its leading position in the party rankings. According to a recent Forsa survey for RTL/ntv’s “Trendbarometer,” the AfD gained one percentage point, reaching a new high of 27 percent. This places the party firmly ahead of the Union (CDU/CSU), which lost one point from the previous week, now standing at 21 percent-its worst figure since the federal election. The SPD remains stagnant at 12 percent, holding onto its worst position since the election. Meanwhile, The Left gained one point to pull ahead of the SPD, climbing to 13 percent. No changes were noted for the Greens, who remained at 16 percent, or the FDP, which held steady at 4 percent.
Regarding political competence, the AfD now clearly surpasses the Union. While 13 percent of the German populace trusts the CDU/CSU to best handle the country’s problems, this figure for the AfD has risen to 15 percent. The SPD currently commands only 5 percent, shrinking one point, and subsequently fell behind the Greens, who are at 6 percent, and The Left, also at 6 percent. Nevertheless, public trust in parties remains very low; a majority of German citizens (53 percent, down two points) still believe no party is best equipped to resolve Germany’s issues.
Satisfaction with the work of Chancellor Friedrich Merz remains low. Like in previous weeks, only 15 percent of citizens express satisfaction with his performance, while 83 percent are dissatisfied-a two-point drop. Notably, skepticism is high even among his own party’s members, with nearly half of the Union’s supporters (49 percent) criticizing his work. The Forsa poll surveyed 2,502 people between July 21 and July 27.
