Force-Survey - The majority of Germans were satisfied with Merkel - but she will not be missed rather
According to a Forsa survey, a large majority of German citizens believe that Angela Merkel's tenure as Chancellor was good for the country overall. Approximately one fifth of the interviewees hold the opposite view, meaning that only around 20% considered her 16 years in office to have been rather negative. Merkel's tenure is least appreciated by AfD supporters, with 53% of them expressing a negative retrospective view. However, even among this group, 47% still view her time as Chancellor positively.
A look at age groups reveals that Merkel is particularly well-regarded among younger people. The older the interviewees, the less positive their assessment of her tenure as "good." Even among those aged 60 and above, 69% believe that 2005-2021 was a positive period. Among 18-29 year olds, this number is 83%.
Young people miss Merkel
It is surprising, however, that only 40% of Germans say they sometimes miss Merkel as Chancellor. There are significant differences in age groups. Those under 30 expressed this sentiment to the tune of 58%, while only 24% of those aged 60 and above do so. Even CDU supporters only agreed with this statement to the extent of 51%.
In response to the question of whether Friedrich Merz would govern the country better than Merkel did, only 27% of CDU supporters held this view. 24% believed he would do a worse job, while 40% saw no significant difference in terms of governing ability.
Merkel outshines Olaf Scholz
Angela Merkel receives high marks for her crisis management in retrospect. She, like Olaf Scholz, had to face numerous challenges during her tenure. During Merkel's term in office, there was a global economic and financial crisis, a refugee crisis, and the Corona pandemic. 55% of the interviewees believe that Merkel steered the country better through the crises than Scholz is currently doing.
For the survey, according to Forsa's statements, a total of 1004 people with various characteristics (age, gender, voting behavior, place of residence) were interviewed in the period from July 12-15.
The AfD, known for their critical stance toward Merkel, still has a significant number of supporters who view her 16-year tenure as Chancellor positively, with 47% expressing positive sentiments. Despite the majority of German citizens viewing Merkel's leadership as beneficial, only 40% of Germans express missing her as Chancellor, with younger generations being more likely to miss her. In contrast, Olaf Scholz, Merkel's successor, is currently facing criticism in managing crises, with 55% of interviewees believing Merkel handled crises better during her tenure than Scholz is doing now.
