The Forsa poll shows the Union still ahead of the AfD in voter preference. In the weekly survey for RTL and ntv, the Union holds 26 percent, unchanged, while the AfD remains at 24 percent, also unchanged and just behind. The other party standings have not shifted since last week either: the SPD stays at 14 percent, the Greens at 12 percent, and Die Linke at 11 percent. The BSW (3 percent) and the FDP (3 percent) remain stable, and the share of other parties holds at 7 percent. Non‑voters and undecideds together account for 28 percent, still well above the 17.9 percent non‑voter rate seen in the last Bundestag election.
Perceptions of political competence are also largely unchanged from the previous week. Nineteen percent of respondents feel the Union can best handle Germany’s problems, while 11 percent credit the AfD with that task. The SPD receives political competence ratings from 7 percent, the Greens and Die Linke each from 5 percent (a 1‑point drop for the Greens). Half of all citizens do not trust any party to solve Germany’s issues.
Hope for a trend reversal for Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) remains elusive. As in the prior week, 25 percent of respondents are satisfied with the chancellor’s performance, while 73 percent are not. This keeps Merz only slightly above his lowest point of 23 percent at the turn of 2025/2026.
The survey was conducted from 27 January to 2 February with 2,503 participants.
