Overview

• The joint July 29–August 4 Forsa survey for RTL/ntv shows CDU/CSU and the far-right AfD each at 25% support, a rare tie for the Union bloc.
• SPD holds steady at 13%, Greens and the Left at 12% apiece, while FDP (3%) and Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (4%) would both fall short of Bundestag representation.
• Just 20% of respondents grant political competence to the Union, 11% to the AfD and 51% trust no party to resolve Germany’s problems, underscoring widespread skepticism.
• Defence Minister Boris Pistorius leads the Forsa politician ranking with 61 trust points, as Katherina Reiche and Jens Spahn suffer steep declines and AfD co-chair Tino Chrupalla is the only figure to register gains.
• Economic pessimism rises with 59% expecting a downturn and an overwhelming 81% rejecting a proposal to raise the retirement age to 70.