Friedrich Merz is facing growing criticism from the German public. The latest poll shows that satisfaction with the chancellor’s performance has fallen to its lowest level since he took office. Negative assessments also dominate public opinion of the federal government as a whole. A similar trend can be observed in Poland when it comes to support for the ruling coalition.
Friedrich Merz became Chancellor of Germany in May 2025, following the swearing-in of the coalition government. More than a year later, Germans are delivering their first serious verdict on his leadership. How do they view his performance so far?
Chancellor losing support
A survey conducted by the INSA institute for the daily newspaper Bild indicates that an increasing number of Germans are dissatisfied with the head of government. Currently, only 15 percent of respondents approve of Merz’s performance. This figure is lower than at the end of April and marks his weakest rating since taking office as chancellor.
A clear majority of respondents are unhappy with the direction of the policies pursued by Merz. Seventy-seven percent of those surveyed expressed a negative opinion of his performance. Only a small share of respondents were unable to provide a clear assessment.
Government also under fire
The poor ratings are not limited to the chancellor himself. The poll shows that citizens are also skeptical about the performance of the federal government as a whole. Only 16 percent of respondents view the government’s work positively, while as many as 78 percent expressed dissatisfaction with the ruling coalition.
The findings may be particularly troubling for the parties that make up the governing coalition. Disappointment with the authorities’ policies is evident even among voters of the parties currently in power.
According to Hermann Binkert, director of the INSA institute, the scale of public dissatisfaction is unusually high for the early stage of a new government’s tenure. He stressed that it is especially concerning that the government is struggling to win over even parts of its own electorate.
The survey was conducted on June 4-5 among a sample of 1,005 respondents.
A similar trend in Poland
Interestingly, a similar pattern can be observed in Poland. Both Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his coalition government continue to receive poor public ratings. Various polls conducted over the past two years indicate that a majority of Poles are dissatisfied with the performance of both the prime minister and his cabinet.