Overview
- The AfD leads with 27% in the ARD-DeutschlandTrend released Thursday, moving ahead of the Union at 24% for the first time in this survey.
- Only 13% are satisfied with the federal government, and big majorities fault how it explains policy (87%) and how the partners work together (84%).
- Approval of Chancellor Friedrich Merz has fallen to 16%, the lowest DeutschlandTrend rating ever recorded for a sitting chancellor.
- A 49% plurality rejects letting the CDU/CSU–SPD coalition govern until 2029, while 44% want it to continue.
- The survey, conducted May 4–6 among 1,303 eligible voters by phone and online, is a snapshot with typical sampling error of about 2–3 points.