She’s been praised around the world for her astute handling of the coronavirus crisis, and it seems that voters in Germany also think highly of her: according to a new survey, Angela Merkel is still Germany’s most popular politician. 

New poll gives CDU / CSU union strong lead

According to the latest ZDF “Politbarometer” survey, Angela Merkel’s party, the centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU), and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU) have increased in popularity among voters and now stand at 40 percent - the highest value in nearly three years. 

The last time they polled so highly was in August 2017, just before the start of the federal election campaign, when they stood at 32,9 percent. This latest Politbarometer survey puts the Union one point higher than in previous weeks. 

The centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) remained at 15 percent, and the Greens lost one point to 19 percent. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) reached nine percent and the Left Party (die Linke) seven percent. The pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) gained one point to rise to five percent. 

Merkel remains most popular politician in Germany

The survey results also show that Merkel is not just the leader of the top-polling party but also the outright winner when it comes to personal reputation, remaining by far the most popular politician in Germany. On a scale from plus five to minus five, she improved her standing in this latest poll to 2,6. 

For comparison, the leader of the CSU, Markus Söder, was the next most popular politician with a net approval rating of 1,9. Finance Minister Olaf Scholz (SPD) came in third with 1,8. Interior Minister Horst Seehofer gained ground in the popularity stakes and overtook Armin Laschet, the State Premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, whose approval rating dipped to 0,5.