Expectations from the federal government Germany could not have been greater when the coalition of conservative parties (CDU/CSU) and social democrats (SPD) took power a year ago, on May 6, 2025. It is the federal chancellor and leader of the CDU Friedrich Mertz I set the bar very high.
The main priority should have been the economic recovery of the country. Citizens will already feel that things are getting better in Germany in a few months, the chancellor promised in his first address and announced major reforms already in the fall.
Citizens are frustrated.
After a year in power, the chancellor must now reluctantly admit that a country like Germany cannot be turned around in just a few months. The ruling coalition is prone to conflicts, and due to the long-term search for compromises, it is much slower than expected. The economy is not recovering, and citizens' disappointment with the work of the government is almost palpable.
A total of 86 percent of Germans are dissatisfied with the work of the federal government. This is shown by the latest representative public opinion survey ARD-Deutschlandtrend, for which the infratest dimap institute surveyed 1.303 German citizens with the right to vote between May 4 and 6, 2026. Such a high level of dissatisfaction is a record. No federal government has been rated so negatively after one year in office since these surveys have been conducted since 1997.
Photo: AP Photo/Michael ProbstThe alternative for Germany advocates expelling migrants from the country
Many plans, many laws
At the same time, the statistics of the government's work do not look so bad. The chancellor and ministers held a total of 41 meetings and initiated 557 initiatives. Among them were 175 draft laws - especially in the areas of migration, economy and energy, security and defense, labor and social policy. However, considering the bad economic situation in which Germany still finds itself, this is clearly not enough for the citizens.
As many as 86 percent of citizens are dissatisfied with what the government has done so far. Criticisms are not only about the content of the policy. Voters give poor marks to communication with citizens, as well as relations within the government.
In case of new elections, the AfD would benefit
Only 44 percent of respondents believe that the coalition should remain in power until the next regular parliamentary elections in 2029. Only the voters of the ruling parties and the opposition Greens are against the early termination of the coalition.
But what would happen if new elections were held now? According to this survey, the ruling CDU/CSU and SPD would no longer have a majority. For the first time, the partially right-wing extremist Alternative for Germany (AfD) would become the strongest political force. With 27 percent of support, the AfD reached a new record.
Compared to the April survey, the CDU/CSU lost two percentage points and now has 24 percent of support. The SPD remains at 12 percent, the Left still has ten percent, while the Greens with 15 percent (+1) are slightly stronger than before. The FDP with four percent (+1) and the Sarah Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) with three would currently fail to enter the Bundestag (the threshold for entering the German parliament is five percent).
The AfD is doing even better in the polls in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, where a new state parliament is being elected in September. According to research by the infratest dimap institute, the AfD would currently win as much as 41 percent of the vote in that East German province. The currently ruling CDU is far behind with 26 percent support.
Photo: AP Photo/Michael SohnAfD election campaign
Does the federal government have the power to turn it around?
Chancellor Mertz sees no alternative to a coalition with the SPD and wants to continue governing together with them. After the draft of the reform of the health system was presented in April, the basic guidelines of the reform of the pension system should be discussed before the summer break. A major income tax reform is planned for the end of the year, which should primarily relieve citizens with lower and middle incomes.
However, there is still no solution for the financing of all these measures. The SPD wants higher taxation of the rich, while Merz's Christian Democrats oppose it.
If you ask citizens, the priority should be the economy, social issues and migration. However, according to this survey, they have little confidence that this ruling coalition can sufficiently change that.
While in June 2025, more than half of citizens believed that this ruling coalition could start the economy, now only 24 percent of them think so. Previously, a good third of respondents thought that the coalition would provide greater social security, and today only 23 percent. A third of respondents (34%) expect effective management of migration from the government, and last summer almost four out of ten respondents expected this.
Governing in historically exceptional circumstances
In interviews on the occasion of the first anniversary of the government, Friedrich Mertz emphasizes that no chancellor before him had to face such difficult circumstances. The world, he says, is in a historically exceptional situation due to global crises and wars. Citizens, however, do not accept these difficult circumstances as a justification for the work of Merc's coalition. As many as 61 percent of them believe that the government's actions in the current crisis conditions are not adequate.
When it comes to Chancellor Mertz, only 16 percent of respondents are "generally satisfied" with his work, the lowest score for a chancellor in the Deutschlandtrend survey. Eight out of ten respondents criticize his way of communication. Three quarters doubt that he can lead the country well through the crisis. Seven out of ten respondents question his ability to perform the function of chancellor. Merz achieves better results only among his Christian Democratic supporters.
Photo: Pexels / Ingo JosephIllustration
USA, Iran and Bundeswehr
Finally, a look at two issues of foreign and security policy. The German Navy is deploying two ships in the Mediterranean Sea. The minesweeper "Fulda" has sailed from the port of Kiel, while the supply ship "Mosel", currently in the Aegean Sea, is being prepared for a possible mission. If after the end of the fighting there is an international naval operation in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran, those ships should be ready for action quickly.
In the Deutschlandtrend survey, every other respondent considers it correct that the German Navy would participate in such a mission. Attitudes differ depending on the party affiliation of the respondents.
Although the relationship between US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz initially seemed quite harmonious, in recent weeks there have been clear disagreements. The Germans consider it correct that Mertz represents his own views. Regardless of party affiliation, most citizens believe the federal government should stand by its positions, even if doing so could anger Donald Trump. Only slightly more than every fifth respondent advocates a more restrained behavior of Germany in foreign policy disputes so as not to provoke Trump.
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