German voters sour on Scholz as government support hits new low

Support for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition has fallen to the lowest level since it came to power in late 2021, as in-fighting and chaotic efforts to master a clean-energy transition drag down public opinion in Europe’s largest economy. 

Public dissatisfaction with Scholz’s Social Democrats, the Greens and the Free Democrats has reached an all-time high of 70%, according to a INSA poll published by the Sunday edition of the Bild newspaper.

Less than 40% of those surveyed said they would support one of the three parties if an election were held today, with more voters saying they would support the right-wing and climate-skeptic AfD than Scholz’s SPD.  

The chancellor’s alliance agreed on an ambitious agenda to decarbonize: getting coal out of the electricity system faster, filling the autobahns with electric vehicles and weaning households off natural gas heating.

But higher energy costs triggered by the war in Ukraine and inflationary pressures have made the green energy shift less palatable.