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(Bloomberg) — Friedrich Merz’s popularity has hit a historic low for German chancellors in a new poll, underscoring his struggle to convince voters he’s the person to lead the European Union’s largest economy.
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One year after taking office, Merz registered just 16% support for his performance as chancellor in a Deutschlandtrend poll conducted by Infratest Dimap for the ARD public broadcaster. That marks the lowest rating ever recorded for a sitting German leader since the firm’s survey began in 1997. It’s also a 5 percentage-point drop from April for Merz.
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Additionally, 83% of respondents said they are dissatisfied with Merz, up 7 percentage points from last month.
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The dire figures illustrate Germans’ deep frustration with Merz’s inability to deliver on campaign promises to revive the country’s flagging economy. His attempts have been hampered by coalition infighting as well as external factors like the US-Israeli war in Iran, which has sent energy prices soaring as officials cut growth forecasts and warn of rising inflation.
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The poll showed 69% of those surveyed think Merz is not up to the job, while just 25% disagree. In particular, people disapprove of the chancellor’s communication style: Only 14% of respondents believe he communicates convincingly.
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The poll surveyed 1,303 German voters aged 18 and older by telephone and online from Monday to Wednesday.
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The figures are even worse than they were for Merz’s predecessor, Olaf Scholz, who also had minimal public support by the end of his tenure. Scholz’s nadir was 18% in September 2024, shortly before his three-party coalition with the Greens and the Free Democrats collapsed.
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Merz’s coalition confronted a fresh challenge on Friday when Germany’s upper house of parliament, or Bundesrat, blocked legislation aimed at alleviating rising fuel costs with an employer bonus. The chamber, represented by Germany’s 16 states, declined to approve the €1,000 ($1,177.1) bonus because of the cost burden for states. The government can now negotiate the legislation in a mediation committee between the upper and lower house.
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The setback was a microcosm of Merz’s troubles.
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The conservative Christian Democrat entered office in May 2025 vowing to make business-friendly reforms, restore Berlin’s leadership within the European Union and reinforce trust in democratic institutions as a bulwark against the rising tide of the far right. But little progress has been made on those fronts and criticism is mounting, including from a prominent industry group this week.
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The plunge in Merz’s public standing has also opened a path for the far right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany, which has vaulted ahead in several polls.
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