One week after the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, and ahead of polls in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin, the CDU/CSU has plummeted to a new historic low in nationwide electoral support, according to a survey conducted by the Yougov institute.
If a federal election were to take place next Sunday, the poll suggests that only 18 percent of voters would support the CDU/CSU, representing a two percentage point drop from the Yougov poll conducted in August.
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) remains the strongest political force, rising one percentage point to secure 29 percent of the vote. Likewise, the Greens have gained one percentage point, now holding 16 percent-their highest noted support since May 2023. The Social Democrats (SPD) have stabilized, increasing their share by one percentage point to 13 percent, while the Left Party lost two percentage points, falling to 10 percent in September. The Free Democratic Party (FDP) remained unchanged at 5 percent. The BSW (Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht) gained one percentage point to reach 4 percent, with other parties collectively holding 5 percent.
Another finding from the survey is that despite its success in the Saxony-Anhalt state elections, the majority of citizens still consider the AfD to be far-right extremist. Fifty-nine percent hold this view, while 30 percent disagree, and 11 percent are undecided. This perception has remained stable compared to public opinion in May 2025, when 61 percent believed the AfD was far-right extremist.
The assessment varies significantly between voter groups. The vast majority of Green voters (97 percent), SPD voters (89 percent), and Left voters (82 percent) hold the strong view that the AfD is a far-right party. While the perception among CDU/CSU voters is less pronounced, it is still clear: 69 percent consider the AfD far-right, versus 22 percent who do not, and 9 percent are undecided. Conversely, among AfD supporters, only four percent believe the party is far-right, with 88 percent holding the opposite view and 8 percent undecided.
However, while the assessment of the AfD has not changed, the public’s view on “the firewall”-meaning the principle of party collaboration-is shifting. In September, 51 percent of people believe that other established parties should not fundamentally rule out cooperation with the AfD. Forty percent feel cooperation should be excluded, and 9 percent are undecided.
This sentiment has changed since August 2026 (August 28-31, 2026). At that time, only 44 percent stated that cooperation should not be generally excluded, as 46 percent desired an exclusion. The “firewall” significantly divides the major party bases: SPD voters (71 percent want exclusion vs. 22 percent do not), Green voters (76 percent want exclusion vs. 15 percent do not), and Left voters (73 percent want exclusion vs. 18 percent do not) are predominantly in favor of excluding cooperation. In contrast, CDU/CSU voters lack a majority supporting the firewall (38 percent want exclusion vs. 55 percent do not). As expected, AfD voters strongly reject this principle (3 percent want exclusion vs. 94 percent do not).
The current figures were collected by Yougov via online panel between September 11 and 14, surveying 2,161 individuals.
