The Union, consisting of the CDU and CSU, failed to surpass the 20% mark in the Sunday poll for the second consecutive week. According to the current RTL/ntv “Trend Barometer,” the Union stands at 19 percent, while the AfD maintains its leading position at an unchanged 26 percent.
Within the general polling, the SPD holds onto its previous week’s gain, positioning itself at 14 percent. The Greens saw a one-percentage-point increase, rising to 17 percent. Conversely, the Left Party dropped one point, falling to 11 percent, while the FDP remains stable at four percent. The BSW slipped below the three-percentage-point threshold and was categorized among the other parties, which collectively reached nine percent. Furthermore, the proportion of non-voters and undecided participants remained at 24 percent, exceeding the 17.9 percent non-voter estimate for the 2025 federal election.
When assessing the ability to solve political crises, the Union also remains below the tenth percentile. Only nine percent believe the CDU and CSU are most capable of fixing Germany’s problems. The AfD improved by one percentage point, leading this metric with 13 percent of support. The SPD lost a point, landing at 7 percent, a figure shared with the Greens. The Left Party also conceded a point, reaching 5 percent. Critically, 56 percent of respondents continue to distrust any single party’s ability to best solve Germany’s problems, a figure that rose by one percentage point from the previous week.
Regarding the CDU’s leader, Friedrich Merz, he is struggling to move beyond a slump in opinion polling. Similar to previous weeks, only 11 percent of citizens are satisfied with his work, while 87 percent are dissatisfied. Even among the supporters of the CDU and CSU, criticism remains dominant, with 60 percent of his base being unhappy with his performance versus 39 percent who are satisfied.
The data sample consisted of 2,502 respondents, collected between September 29 and October 5, 2026.
