Germany’s governing CDU/CSU bloc has fallen to its lowest support level in nearly five years, trailing the opposition Alternative for Germany (AfD) by eight percentage points, according to an INSA poll published by Bild on Saturday.
The survey, conducted for Bild am Sonntag between August 10 and 14, interviewed 1,203 people across Germany with a reported margin of error of 3.1 percentage points. Support for the CDU/CSU dropped one point from the previous week to 20%, its weakest INSA result since October 2021. The AfD remained unchanged at 28%, making it the most popular party in the poll.
The Greens received 13%, while the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Left party each stood at 12%. The Free Democratic Party (FDP) recorded 5% and the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance 3%. Together, the two governing parties — the CDU/CSU and SPD — received 32%, only four points more than the AfD alone.
Approval ratings for Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition, which took office in May 2025, have declined steadily amid continued economic stagnation and unresolved disputes over taxes, welfare, and spending priorities. The poll found 16% of respondents satisfied with Merz’s performance, while 78% expressed dissatisfaction. Four in five disapproved of the federal government’s work.
“Support has never been so low and rejection so high,” INSA director Hermann Binkert told Bild. He argued the trend may no longer be reversible because most remaining supporters of the governing parties no longer back the cabinet.
Around 10,000 people demonstrated against the government in Plauen last week, according to Saxony police, demanding snap Elections, lower energy costs, and changes to Healthcare, migration, and military policy.
The AfD’s 28% rating represents a substantial increase from the 20.8% it secured in the February 2025 federal election. The party has continued to rise in national surveys despite efforts by mainstream parties to exclude it from governing coalitions. Its growing support comes ahead of regional elections in eastern Germany, where it is polling at around 41% in Saxony-Anhalt and 36% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Researchers cited by Reuters have linked the party’s strength there to lower incomes, population decline, labor shortages, and perceptions of political neglect.
