12/07/2022 05:31 (act. 12/07/2022 05:31)
Olaf Scholz unpopular with Germans after one year as Chancellor ©APA/dpa
After the first year of the traffic light coalition, two-thirds of Germans are dissatisfied with the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz. In a survey by polling institute YouGov on behalf of the German Press Agency, 33% were very dissatisfied and another 33% were very dissatisfied with the work of the SPD, Greens and FDP alliance. On the other hand, only three percent are very satisfied and 23 percent are very satisfied.
Chancellor Scholz’s (SPD) cabinet was sworn in a year ago on Thursday. Coalition party voters evaluate the government’s work very differently. While a 56% majority in the Green camp is satisfied, it is only 24% among FDP voters. Among SPD supporters, those satisfied and dissatisfied are balanced between 48% and 47%.
In the poll, the chancellor comes out only slightly better than the entire government. 64% are dissatisfied with their work, 29% are satisfied. Scholz clearly loses comparison with his predecessor. A 51 percent majority sees Angela Merkel (CDU) as the best chancellor. Only 19 percent think Scholz is the best head of government. Even among SPD voters, sympathies for Merkel predominate at 39% to 37%.
The Greens will likely be seen as the first year traffic light winners. 28% of respondents believe they would have implemented their policy better in the coalition. 23% believe the SPD had the most influence on traffic light policy, and only 19% see the FDP’s ideas as the most likely to be realized.
For all the dissatisfaction with the traffic light, only a minority of 31% believe the coalition will fall apart prematurely. On the other hand, 47% say it will remain in effect until the next federal election in 2025. Coalition party voters have particularly high confidence in the traffic light’s staying power. 74% of Green voters believe the coalition will last until 2025, 62% of SPD supporters and 58% of FDP supporters.