Analysis clearly shows:

Majority of Germans want government without AfD

Really the chancellor of hearts? The majority of Germans do not think so.

(Bild: AFP)

The AfD has achieved a record result - but polls show that a clear majority of German voters oppose the party's participation in government. Some findings from the analyses of the opinion research institutes Infratest dimap and Forschungsgruppe Wahlen on the Bundestag elections:

According to the Infratest dimap analysis, 70 percent rate a possible participation of the AfD in the next federal government as not good. 27% say they like this option.

Forschungsgruppe Wahlen shows a similar picture: 74% of respondents clearly reject a CDU/CSU coalition with the AfD. Even before the election, CDU chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz (CDU) ruled out working with the AfD, which is being monitored by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution as a suspected right-wing extremist party.

Left wins among younger voters
According to Forschungsgruppe Wahlen, there are major differences in voting decisions between age groups: In the 60-plus generation, 38% vote CDU/CSU and 23% SPD. In contrast, the Left Party won among the under-30s with 24%, followed by the AfD (21%) and the Greens (12%). The election analysis by Infratest dimap also names the Left and AfD as winners among the 18 to 24-year-old generation. Both are very active on social media.

Differences between the genders
There are also differences between the genders. According to Forschungsgruppe Wahlen, these can be seen in particular with the AfD, which scored 23% among men and 17% among women. The CDU/CSU is also more popular with men (29%) than with women (27%). However, the SPD and the Left Party are more successful with women. The parties achieve 18 and 11 percent respectively among women, compared to 15 and 7 percent among men.

Merz considered worthy of chancellor by 43%
According to Infratest dimap, 43% of respondents agree that CDU leader Merz is up to the job of Chancellor. 35% of respondents are satisfied with his political work, while 59% are dissatisfied. In terms of popularity, however, he is behind Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD).

Scholz himself plummeted in terms of approval of his work. While at the beginning of the legislative period, two thirds (66%) said they were satisfied, by 2025 this figure had fallen to just 30%.

SPD loses election campaign issue of social justice to the left
The SPD is losing a lot of trust in its traditional domain of social justice, whereas the left is making clear gains in this area: According to Forschungsgruppe Wahlen, for 42 percent the Left is "the only party that really makes policy for people on low incomes".

55% of those surveyed by Infratest dimap agree with the statement that the SPD is more concerned with recipients of social benefits than with working people. 52% expressed the view that the Social Democrats neglect the interests of workers. Only 26% believe that the SPD is most likely to ensure social justice.