Dissatisfaction with German Chancellor Merz hits a record 82% — INSA poll

According to an INSA poll cited by Bild, 82% of Germans view the performance of Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the government negatively, while Alternative for Germany leads the party ranking with 29% versus 19% for the CDU/CSU.

Otabek YusupovFirst published on tafs uz 7 November 2026 at 21:572 min read

The key facts

82% of respondents are dissatisfied with Chancellor Friedrich Merz's performance; only 13% are satisfied
The AfD leads the INSA party ranking with 29%, while the CDU/CSU bloc gains 19%
60% of respondents believe their financial situation has worsened under the current government

Record drop in the chancellor's approval rating

Dissatisfaction with the work of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has reached a record 82%, according to the INSA polling institute, as the newspaper Bild reports, citing the results of a new survey. The share of Germans who view the head of government's performance negatively rose by two percentage points compared with early October, while only 13% of respondents are satisfied with his work. The governing coalition of the CDU/CSU and the SPD received the same figure — 13% positive assessments — with 82% dissatisfied.

Financial situation and party standings

One possible reason for the decline in support for the government cited by the survey is the worsening financial situation of citizens: 60% of participants believe their personal situation has become worse under the current government, only 6% noted improvements, and 29% noticed no change. Against this backdrop, Alternative for Germany holds first place in the INSA party ranking with 29% support, while the CDU/CSU bloc gains 19% — a gap of ten percentage points. The SPD receives 14%, the Greens 15%, and the Left Party 10%, meaning that both parties of the governing coalition individually trail the AfD.

The chancellor's reaction

Earlier, Life.ru reported that Merz admitted to being concerned about the record drop in his own approval ratings. At a press conference in Berlin, he said he was trying to understand the reasons for citizens' dissatisfaction and suggested that if parliamentary elections were held, the CDU/CSU and SPD coalition might fail to win a majority of votes. Thus, the new INSA data show not a one-off dip but a continuing deterioration in assessments since early October, which the chancellor himself has publicly acknowledged as a problem.