Almost three quarters of Germans are unhappy with the work of the ruling coalition led by the Social Democratic Party and Chancellor Olaf Scholz, according to new poll released on Sunday.
Just 23% are satisfied with the work of the so called traffic-light coalition of SPD, Greens and liberal FDP, according to the YouGov institute poll conducted on behalf of Germany’s press agency DPA.
More than two-thirds over the nearly 1,300 respondents said they don’t trust Scholz to solve the country’s most pressing problems, including weak economic growth, high inflation and cratering business confidence. Only 18% expect Scholz’s current coalition to be returned to office in 2025.
The poll is a fresh blow to Scholz’s coalition, which has been mired in internal spats over a new heating law, power price subsidies for industrial companies, and child benefits.
Germany’s economy, long Europe’s growth engine, has been sputtering for several quarters. It’s the only major country whose output is forecast to shrink this year. Business confidence took another hit in August even though the economy managed to exit a recession in the second quarter.
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As was the case a century ago, the ensuing economic hardship is proving to be fertile ground for populism. Support for Germany’s AfD has surged to record highs in recent months, propelling the far-right party past Scholz’s center-left Social Democrats.
Despite calls from his own party and some coalition partners, the chancellor on Saturday rejected calls for higher, debt-financed federal spending to boost growth.
