AfD Gains Ground on Union as Public Discontent Grows

A recent YouGov survey indicates that the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has narrowed the gap with the Union party, now trailing by just two percentage points. The survey reveals that support for the AfD has increased by two percentage points from the previous month, bringing their approval rating to 25 percent. In contrast, the Union has seen a slight decline in support, now standing at 27 percent.

The survey also highlights ongoing dissatisfaction with the current coalition government. Approximately 65 percent of respondents expressed being either very or somewhat dissatisfied with the government's performance, marking a 10 percentage point increase in discontent compared to June. Only 29 percent of participants reported being satisfied, indicating a significant drop in public approval.

In terms of other political parties, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) remains unchanged at 14 percent, while the Green Party and the Left Party are closely matched, with the Greens at 11 percent (down one point) and the Left at 10 percent (up two points). The Free Democratic Party (FDP) holds steady at 3 percent, while other parties collectively account for 5 percent of the vote.

The data for the YouGov Sunday survey was collected between July 11 and 14, 2025, following a failed attempt in the Bundestag to elect three constitutional judges, an event that may have influenced public sentiment. YouGov noted that political events often require time to manifest in survey results.

Furthermore, the survey indicates that the majority of respondents are dissatisfied with the performance of the newly formed black-red government, which began about ten weeks ago. The dissatisfaction rate suggests that the current government's approval is lower than that of the previous coalition during a similar period.

Public opinion regarding Friedrich Merz's leadership as Chancellor has also been lukewarm, with 32 percent of eligible voters rating his performance positively, while 59 percent assessed it negatively. A small percentage, 10 percent, remained uncertain.