German Politicians Ranked in ZDF Poll as Merz Hits Record-Low Sympathy Score

On Wednesday, August 20, 2026, broadcaster ZDF published its August Politbarometer, a monthly survey of German public opinion conducted by the Forschungsgruppe Wahlen polling institute. The release ranked ten leading German politicians by public sympathy — and placed Chancellor Friedrich Merz at a personal record low of −1.9 on a scale from +5 to −5, down from −1.5 in late July. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius remained the most popular figure at +1.3, while AfD co-leader Alice Weidel finished last at −2.5.

The poll also found 75% of respondents dissatisfied with Merz’s work as chancellor, with only 20% satisfied — another personal high in disapproval for the CDU leader. Eight in ten Germans, including 67% of CDU/CSU supporters, said the Union does not fully stand behind its party chairman.

Editor’s note: This article draws on the ZDF Politbarometer August 2026 press release (August 20, 2026), data from Forschungsgruppe Wahlen, and reporting from Handelsblatt. Interviews were conducted August 17–19 among 1,319 eligible voters by telephone and online.

How the sympathy ranking works

Each month, Forschungsgruppe Wahlen asks eligible voters: “What do you think of …?” about a fixed list of prominent politicians. Responses are averaged on a −5 to +5 sympathy and performance scale, producing a top-ten ranking that German media treat as a benchmark of personal political capital — distinct from party preference or chancellor approval questions.

Rank	Politician	Party / role	Sympathy score	Change vs. late July
1	Boris Pistorius	SPD — Defense Minister	+1.3	−0.2
2	Cem Özdemir	Greens — Agriculture Minister	+0.9	—
3	Johann Wadephul	CDU — Foreign Minister	+0.1	—
4	Alexander Dobrindt	CSU — Transport Minister	−0.4	new entry
5	Lars Klingbeil	SPD — Vice Chancellor	−0.6	—
6	Markus Söder	CSU — Bavarian premier	−0.6	—
7	Bärbel Bas	SPD — co-chair	−0.8	—
8	Heidi Reichinnek	Left — co-chair	−0.8	—
9	Friedrich Merz	CDU — Chancellor	−1.9	−0.4
10	Alice Weidel	AfD — co-leader	−2.5	−0.1

Only three politicians on the list remain in positive territory. Merz is the lowest-ranked member of his own governing coalition, sitting below both his vice chancellor and several opposition figures.

Merz’s deepening unpopularity

Merz’s −1.9 sympathy score marks his worst reading since ZDF began tracking him in the Politbarometer series. The drop from −1.5 in late July continues a downward trend that has accelerated since he took office in the spring.

On a separate question about his performance as chancellor, the picture is starker:

Assessment	Share of respondents
Dissatisfied	75%
Satisfied	20%

ZDF described the 75% dissatisfaction figure as a new high for Merz in that category. The chancellor’s weakness stands in contrast to Pistorius, whose defense portfolio and measured public style have kept him consistently at the top of the sympathy list even as the broader coalition struggles.

Doubts about party backing

Beyond personal ratings, the August survey tested whether major party leaders enjoy full support from their own bases.

CDU/CSU and Merz:

View	All respondents	CDU/CSU supporters
CDU does not fully stand behind Merz	80%	67%
CDU does fully stand behind Merz	12%	—

SPD co-chairs:

Leader	Share saying SPD lacks full backing	Share saying SPD fully backs them
Lars Klingbeil	53% (57% among SPD supporters)	28%
Bärbel Bas	52% (52% among SPD supporters)	22%

The findings suggest Merz faces a credibility gap inside his own party as well as with the wider electorate — a sensitive issue for a chancellor leading a fragile CDU–SPD “black-red” coalition only months into its term.

Party preference and coalition math

Asked how they would vote “if the Bundestag election were next Sunday,” respondents in the August Politbarometer produced this projection:

Party	Projected share	Change vs. prior survey
AfD	27%	−1 pp
CDU/CSU	22%	−1 pp
Greens	14%	+1 pp
SPD	12%	—
Left	12%	—
FDP	4%	—
Other parties	9%	+1 pp

The AfD would remain the strongest single party, ahead of the Union by five points despite both losing one percentage point. With these numbers, a renewed CDU–SPD majority would be out of reach, underscoring the structural pressure on Merz’s government even before personal approval is factored in.

Policy flashpoints in the same survey

The August Politbarometer bundled sympathy scores with questions on live policy debates that may be dragging on the chancellor’s standing.

Pension reform (“Rente mit 63”)

The government plans to abolish early retirement at 63 for long-serving workers — a reform criticized by several state premiers from both coalition parties. 75% of respondents opposed scrapping the benefit; only 20% supported the government’s plan, with majorities against across all party supporter groups.

Eastern state elections and the AfD

With Landtag elections in eastern German states in September, the poll asked about an AfD minister-president:

Response	Share
Would be bad if AfD led a state government	64%
Would be good	23%
Indifferent	11%

60% expected worse policy in any state where the AfD governed; only 17% expected improvement.

CDU cooperation rules

61% said the CDU is right to reject cooperation with the AfD; 34% supported the party’s rejection of cooperation with The Left — a split that may complicate post-election arithmetic in the east, where both fringe parties poll strongly.

Methodology

Detail	Value
Fieldwork	August 17–19, 2026
Sample	1,319 randomly selected eligible voters
Mode	Telephone and online; landline and mobile numbers
Institute	Forschungsgruppe Wahlen (Mannheim)
Margin of error	±3 percentage points at a 40% share; ±2 points at a 10% share

ZDF’s next Politbarometer broadcast is scheduled for Friday, September 25, 2026.

What it means for German politics

Sympathy scores are not election forecasts, but they measure personal political capital at a moment when Merz needs it most. A chancellor at −1.9 — below his vice chancellor, several cabinet colleagues, and even some opposition leaders — enters autumn legislative fights on pensions, the budget, and eastern state elections with limited public goodwill.

Pistorius’s continued lead shows that individual ministers can outperform the government brand, but that offers little comfort to Merz if voters blame the chancellor for coalition friction. The finding that two-thirds of Union supporters doubt their party fully backs Merz may embolden internal critics and sharpen media scrutiny of every cabinet dispute.

For the broader party landscape, an AfD still polling at 27% in the Sunday question — combined with a chancellor hitting record-low personal scores — frames a difficult autumn for Germany’s traditional center-right leadership.

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Discussion

The August Politbarometer captures a coalition under strain — on pensions, party loyalty, and eastern elections alike.

1. Merz’s sympathy score fell to −1.9 while Pistorius remains at +1.3 within the same government. Does that gap reflect policy disagreements, communication style, or voters punishing the chancellor for decisions his ministers avoid?

2. Three-quarters of Germans oppose abolishing “Rente mit 63,” yet the government is pushing the reform anyway. When a flagship policy faces 75% public rejection, can a chancellor already at record-low approval afford to press ahead — or does compromise become unavoidable?

If you follow German politics, which Politbarometer figure surprises you most this month — and what would change Merz’s trajectory?

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