German voters’ support for Russia sanctions is waning
Will people in Germany have to sit in the cold come winter? Russia is supplying less and less gas, and prices are rising. What will happen to solidarity with Ukraine when life gets tougher in this country?
Never before in Germany’s post-war history has a government had to deal with so many problems at once. The coalition of center-left Social Democrats (SPD), Greens, and neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP) has been in office for a good six months, and started out pledging to lead Germany into a climate-neutral future. But then Russia invaded Ukraine, with serious consequences for the country’s economy, defense, and energy sectors.
As Russia cuts gas supplies, Germany’s energy supply is under threat and prices are rising. Now coal power plants, which are particularly harmful to the climate, are making a comeback.
Some 1,300 eligible voters were polled in June by infratest dimap for the latest Deutschlandtrend survey. 52% of them said they want to hold on to the ambitious climate protection goals, despite current problems. Party preferences make a big difference: 83% of the Greens’ young, urban, well-educated electorate want to stick to the goals. Meanwhile, 43% of respondents want to cut back on climate protection. This is the view of 69% of supporters of the far-right populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) and 56% of the supporters for the conservative CDU/CSU, which traditionally does well in rural areas and among the elderly.
A majority of German voters — especially young people — put combatting climate change top of their list of concerns
Dissatisfaction in many policy areas
There was some disapproval of the government’s current efforts: 56% of respondents said they were dissatisfied with the government’s response to the war in Ukraine. 66% are not happy with the government’s efforts to secure energy supplies. 67% find fault with budgetary and financial policy. And the bottom of the list was the rating for the government’s attempts to ease the burden of rising prices: 76% found them to be insufficient.
Rising inflation is also reflected in the personal economic outlook of those polled. There is great concern about how things will develop in the coming year, though there are major regional differences. While almost three-quarters of respondents in the western part of the country rate their own economic situation as positive, only 59% of respondents in the eastern part of the country, the former communist GDR, do so.
But the majority of respondents said they were in favor of continuing the measures that are already in place. Two-thirds would like the €9 monthly ticket for regional trains and public transport to be extended beyond August. 56% of respondents want the fuel tax reduction extended, with the exception of Green Party supporters: 80% of them oppose government investment in making fuel more affordable.
Will solidarity with Ukraine hold?
With every week that the war continues, the economic consequences for Germany become more apparent. Nevertheless, the majority of the population still supports the sanctions against Russia. Compared to the beginning of the war, however, support is crumbling.
There are major differences between western Germany and the east, where the majority still rejects sanctions against Russia.
Again, responses differ along party lines. A majority of supporters of the Greens, CDU/CSU, SPD, and FDP are in favor of maintaining the sanctions. Not so on the extreme fringes of the political spectrum, with 80% of AfD voters opposed to any sanctions that also have a detrimental effect on the German population.
COVID-19 wave rolling
COVID-19 infection numbers have been rising markedly in recent weeks. Still, most protective measures have been scrapped. Opinions differ as to whether this is the right thing to do. 47% say they support the government’s health policy, while 51% are opposed.
German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, of the SPD, has been warning of a dramatic rise in infections in the fall and winter when more people will again be indoors. He announced fresh restrictions would then be imposed.
Over 60% of respondents support the mandatory wearing of medical masks in public places, mandatory testing for all public events, and mandatory vaccination of the vulnerable. School closures, however, are seen as unacceptable: 76% of respondents oppose them.
The Greens win, and the SPD loses
Overall, the federal government again failed to win over the majority of respondents in July. Although some politicians continue to buck the trend: Green Party Economy Minister and Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck continues to be the most popular, just ahead of the Greens’ Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. Only 44% say they are satisfied with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and FDP chairman and Finance Minister Christian Lindner has only 37% support.
The center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its regional Bavarian “sister party” Christian Social Union (CSU) remain the strongest political force with 27% support. The Greens have risen to 23%, five points better than their 18% in last September’s general election. The SPD, however, continues to lose ground.
Support for the other parties remains unchanged, with the Left Party below the 5% threshold necessary to enter parliament.
This article was originally written in German.
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