Chancellor Merz still least liked national politician for Germans — poll

TASS · 🇩🇪 public Germany · Aug 18, 2026 · 165 words

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What to know about Chancellor Merz still least liked national politician for Germans — poll

The article reports on a Forsa opinion poll indicating a low approval rating of 13% for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. It also provides current party rankings, showing the Alternative for Germany leading at 28%.

Propaganda risk 10%

Claims checked 10

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center67%

Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’ approval rating continues to fall, with only 13% of the country’s citizens being satisfied with his performance, according to an opinion poll conducted by the Forsa pollster for the RTL and NTV television channels.

Why it matters

As many as 85% of respondents said they are dissatisfied with Merz’s work, the worst ever figure in the history of Forsa polls.

Common ground

The lowest rating recorded for his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, was 76%.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Chancellor Merz still least liked national politician for Germans — poll?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that As many as 85% of respondents said they are dissatisfied with Merz’s work, the worst ever figure in the history of Forsa polls?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://tass.com/world/2174865

analyticsAnalysis

10%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 5

check_circle Corroborated 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

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Claim 1: “As many as 85% of respondents said they are dissatisfied with Merz’s work, the worst ever figure in the history of Forsa polls.”

CORROBORATED

Two separate web sources explicitly mention the 85% dissatisfaction rate in the Forsa poll, with one specifically noting it as record-low support.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In the run-up to the 2025 German federal election, which took place as a snap election on 23 February 2025, various organisations carried out opinion polling to gauge voting intentions in Germany. Res…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chancellor_polling_and_project…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The January 2021 Christian Democratic Union leadership election took place on 15 January 2021 at the party's 33rd Congress to elect the leader of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany. The electio…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_2021_Christian_Democra…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 2: “The lowest rating recorded for his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, was 76%.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant information regarding the Rohingya genocide and general Wikipedia pages on elections, with no mention of Olaf Scholz's specific lowest dissatisfaction rating of 76%.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Pinar Atalay (born 27 April 1978) is a German journalist, talk show host and radio and television presenter.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinar_Atalay

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 3: “Sixteen percent of respondents are willing to vote for the Greens.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence discusses the Green Party in the UK (Gorton and Denton) and general polling in New Zealand, with no mention of the German Green Party's 16% rating.

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web search NEUTRAL — The first constituency-specific poll for the Gorton and Denton by-election has today been released by online pollster Omnisis, showing the Green Party leading with voters, with Reform in second place …
https://greenparty.org.uk/2026/02/20/green-party-leads-in-fi…

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web search NEUTRAL — In both polls, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has also taken a hit. In Talbot Mills, Ardern remains well ahead of anyone else as preferred prime minister on 47 percent. That is back to her pre-Covid le…
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/labour-ardern-take-hit-i…

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web search NEUTRAL — Election 2028 Polls. Trump Approval on Issues. Leader & Party Favorability. State of the Union Polls. RCP Pollster Scorecard.Stay up to date on all the latest 2026 and 2028 election and state of the u…
https://www.realclearpolling.com/latest-polls

info

Claim 4: “followed by the conservative CDU/CSU bloc with 21%.”

SINGLE SOURCE

One web search result mentions CDU/CSU at 20.9% (rounded to 21%) in an 'Election Trend of 6 September 2026', but this is not explicitly linked to the Forsa poll described in the claims.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — CDU/CSU, unofficially the Union parties (German: Unionsparteien [uˈni̯oːnspaʁˌtaɪən]) or the Union, is a centre-right Christian democratic and conservative political alliance of two political parties …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CDU/CSU

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Christian Democratic Union of Germany (German: Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands [ˈkʁɪstlɪç demoˈkʁaːtɪʃə ʔuˈni̯oːn ˈdɔʏtʃlants], CDU [ˌtseːdeːˈʔuː] ) is a Christian democratic and conse…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Democratic_Union_of_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Christian Social Union in Bavaria (German: , CSU) is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. Having a regionalist identity, the CSU operates only in Bavaria while its l…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Social_Union_in_Bava…

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 5: “Alternative for Germany leads the rankings with 28%”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the Daily Telegraph NZ reports the AfD hitting 28%, it attributes this to a 'Bild/INSA poll', not the Forsa poll mentioned in the context of the other claims. No other source confirms this specific 28% figure for the Forsa poll.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Alternative for Germany (German: Alternative für Deutschland, AfD [aːʔɛfˈdeː] ) is a far-right, right-wing populist, national conservative, and in parts völkisch nationalist political party in Germany…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_for_Germany

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This page is a list of the Alternative for Germany party's election results.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_for_Germany_electi…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Young Alternative for Germany (German: Junge Alternative für Deutschland or JA) was a far-right youth organization in Germany. Founded in June 2013 and dissolved in March 2025, it was made for peo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Alternative_for_Germany

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 6: “Only 12% of those polled said they will support the Social Democratic Party of Germany.”

SINGLE SOURCE

One web search result mentions the SPD at 12.3% (rounded to 12%) in an 'Election Trend of 6 September 2026', but it is not explicitly linked to the Forsa poll.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Germany has a mixed-member proportional electoral system, allowing representation both of local interests (299 single-member constituencies) and proportions of the vote given at party level.Social Dem…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_German_federal_election

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web search NEUTRAL — SPD. Social Democratic Party of Germany.Germany's Potential Coalitions. Seats based on the Election Trend of 6 September 2026. Spd 89 12.3%. Cdu/csu 152 20.9%.
https://politpro.eu/en/germany

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web search NEUTRAL — Support for Germany's Social Democrats (SPD), the country's oldest party, has slumped to half that of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives just two weeks after the left-leaning party elected a new…
https://www.yahoo.com/news/support-german-spd-drops-half-mer…

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Claim 7: “The poll was conducted on August 11 through 17 and involved 2,504 respondents.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for the specific dates or sample size of the poll.

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Claim 8: “German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’ approval rating continues to fall, with only 13% of the country’s citizens being satisfied with his performance, according to an opinion poll conducted by the Forsa pollster for the RTL and NTV television channels.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources (Tasnim, QOSHE, and another report) explicitly state that a Forsa poll for RTL and NTV shows Friedrich Merz's approval rating at 13%.

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web search NEUTRAL — TEHRAN (Tasnim) – German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’ approval rating continues to fall, with only 13% of the country’s citizens being satisfied with his performance, according to an opinion poll conduc…
https://tasnimnews.ir/en/news/2026/08/19/3674599/chancellor-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Chancellor Friedrich Merz has become the focal point of this broader crisis of governance and legitimacy.By May 2026, according to a Forsa poll for RTL/ntv, Merz’s approval ratings had fallen to 13 pe…
https://qoshe.com/new-eastern-outlook/ricardo-martins/friedr…

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web search NEUTRAL — BERLIN — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is facing the steepest political backlash of his chancellorship, with a new poll revealing that 64% of Germans are now dissatisfied with his performance.
https://easternherald.com/2025/07/22/merz-loses-support/

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Claim 9: “The Left Party could currently receive the same percentage of votes.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim discusses Swedish politics and general US polling, providing no data on the German Left Party's current polling percentage.

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web search NEUTRAL — Sweden's four left-leaning parties had a combined 50.8% backing, estimated to give them 180 seats, while the coalition government and its far-right support party, the Sweden Democrats, stood at 47.6%,…
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-09-11/sweden…

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web search NEUTRAL — This week: Joy for Liberals as support swells, Sweden Democrats and Left Party hit by scandals, immigration in focus in TV debate, billionaires duel over which side to back, and poor school results th…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8oHkJ0gWks

help

Claim 10: “Other parties would not clear the 5% threshold”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.