In a recent survey conducted by Insa-“Sonntagstrend”, the approval rating for the AfD party in Germany has dropped by one percentage point. According to the “Bild” newspaper, only 17 percent of voters would vote for the AfD if the federal elections were held today. The newspaper commissioned the survey, which shows a decline of six percentage points for the AfD since January. Hermann Binkert, a researcher at Insa, stated that the party is also losing support from its core voters.
The survey results indicate that if the federal elections were held today, the SPD would receive 15.5 percent of the vote, the Union would receive 30.5 percent, the Greens would receive 13 percent, the FDP would receive 5 percent, the Left party would receive 3.5 percent, and the Free Voters would receive 2.5 percent. The BSW alliance led by Sahra Wagenknecht would see a decrease of half a percentage point to 7 percent. Additionally, 6 percent of voters would choose other parties. The approval rating for the AfD has decreased to 13 percent, which is one percentage point lower than the previous week and four percentage points lower than in January.
Despite the decline in approval ratings for the AfD, the rejection of the party remains high, with 57 percent of respondents stating that they would not vote for the party under any circumstances. This is an increase from the 56 percent rejection rate in January. The survey also revealed that a relatively small percentage of voters who prefer other parties can envision voting for the AfD, with an additional potential of 7 percent. Co-leader of the AfD, Alice Weidel, has dropped in the ranking of most popular politicians, now ranking 18th behind Nancy Faeser of the SPD. Party colleague Tino Chrupalla remains in 19th place. The survey was conducted with 2087 German citizens from May 10th to 13th, 2024, with a maximum margin of error of plus/minus 2.5 percentage points.
The decline in support for the AfD in the Insa-“Sonntagstrend” survey is significant, with the party losing six percentage points since January. The overall sentiment towards the AfD has deteriorated, according to Insa researcher Hermann Binkert. The latest results show that the party would only receive 17 percent of the vote if the federal elections were held today, indicating a shift in voter preferences. The stability of support for other major parties such as the SPD and the Union, as well as the increase in support for the Greens, suggests a changing political landscape in Germany.
With the rejection rate for the AfD remaining high at 57 percent, it indicates a strong resistance to the party among the electorate. The additional potential of 7 percent of voters considering switching to the AfD shows some openness to alternative options, but overall, the party still faces challenges in gaining broader acceptance. The decline in approval ratings for the AfD and the stagnant additional potential suggest a need for the party to reassess its strategies and messaging to appeal to a wider range of voters and regain lost support. The upcoming federal elections will be crucial in determining the party’s future trajectory in German politics.
