A clear majority of Germans oppose the possibility of a state government led by the AfD. Despite common media discussions about whether the AfD would be able to address current problems if given political responsibility, a significant majority of the public does not believe that the AfD should take power in a federal state. According to a Forsa survey commissioned by “Stern” and the broadcaster RTL, 58 percent of citizens voted against this prospect.
Regional differences were noted in the opinion polls. In Western Germany, six out of ten respondents reject an AfD-led government. In East Germany, the opinion is more divided, showing a near-stalemate between supporters (48 percent) and opponents (49 percent).
Support for the AfD in government is also strongly opposed by adherents of other major parties. CDU and CSU supporters are clearly against the AfD holding governmental power. Likewise, the Greens and the Left Party are overwhelmingly opposed to this development, with 83 percent in disagreement. Furthermore, three-quarters of SPD supporters also oppose an AfD takeover.
The main exception is, unsurprisingly, the AfD’s own base, where 90 percent of respondents supported their party taking over the state government.
The opinion research institute Forsa collected data from 1,001 Germans during the survey, which was conducted on September 10 and 11, 2026, for “Stern” and RTL.
