More than four fifths (82%) of Germans no longer consider the United States as a ‘reliable partner’, the latest RTL/ntv Trendbarometer has found.
Just 15% still regard the US as a reliable partner, the survey of 1,006 respondents, which was carried out between 7 and 10 March, found.
This is a notable decrease on a previous survey taken by RTL/ntv in February, in which 24% considered the US a reliable partner, and 73% answered that it wasn’t.
Support for the US is strongest among AfD supporters, it found, with 25% considering the US a reliable partner.
Friedrich Merz as chancellor
Public opinion is also split in Germany over Friedrich Merz‘s potential as chancellor, with 38% believing he will do a ‘good’ job, and 52% disagreeing, RTL/ntv’s Trendbarometer found.
According to the survey, some 10% are unsure over Friedrich Merz’s potential as chancellor, up from 6% in a previous survey.
The only cohort to weigh in significantly behind Friedrich Merz were CDU/CSU supporters, with 74% of this group believing Merz will be a good chancellor.
Party preferences, meanwhile, have shown little change in the federal elections – support for CDU/CSU holds steady at 28%, while the AfD (22%) and SPD (15%) also held their ground. The FDP saw a slight increase in support, to 4%, while Die Linke lost one percentage point, to sit on 11%.
Foreign policy
As regards foreign policy concerns, half of Germans (50%) fear that Russian President Vladimir Putin might target NATO member states if he wins the war in Ukraine, while 45% deem this scenario ‘unlikely’.
Some 60% stated that they would either ‘probably not’ or ‘definitely not’ be willing to defend the country in the event of an attack. Men (27%) are more likely than women (8%) to say that they would ‘definitely’ defend Germany if required, according to the survey. Read more here.
