German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s approval rating has fallen off a cliff, with more than two-thirds of the population dissatisfied with the work of his government, a new poll has suggested.
Scholz’s rating has slipped to just 30%, down from 44% in June, with the leader now in 14th place in terms of popularity among German politicians, according to a survey by the Verian opinion research institute, commissioned by Spiegel magazine and published on Friday.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock's rating dropped four points to 42%, as has Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, who is now at 19%, down from 23% in June.
Meanwhile, Marcus Soder, the leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU), and Sahra Wagenknecht, a left-wing MP who has repeatedly criticized Western aid to Ukraine, made significant gains, rising seven and eight points to 48% and 38%, respectively.
According to the poll, the most popular politician in Germany is President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (60%), a former foreign minister whose role as head of state is mostly ceremonial. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius also enjoys a relatively high level of support, with 55% approving of the job he is doing.
Overall, however, Germans seem to be dissatisfied with the government, with around 70% thinking it is doing a ‘rather bad’ or ‘very bad’ job.
Der Spiegel suggested that the low figures are due in part to attitudes towards migration. Around 65% believe there has been ‘too much’ immigration into the country, while only a third say the amount is ‘too little’ or ‘correct’. In addition, 45% of respondents are pessimistic about their financial situation in the coming year.
The Verian poll echoes a similar survey by ARD-DeutschlandTrend earlier this month, which found that 74% of respondents believe Scholz is doing a poor job as chancellor, with 77% saying they have little or no trust in the direction he is taking the country. A survey by Forsa in December suggested that only 10% of Germans consider the chancellor to be a strong leader.