Nearly four years after the end of Angela Merkel's (CDU) chancellorship, one in four Germans, according to a survey, wishes she were back. Merkel is particularly popular among supporters of the Greens and The Left (Die Linke), among young voters, and among people in urban regions, according to the survey conducted by the opinion research institute Civey on behalf of the Funke Mediengruppe newspapers (Saturday editions).
In total, 25 percent answered "yes" and "rather yes" to the question "Do you miss Angela Merkel as Federal Chancellor?" - while 68 percent answered "no" and "rather no." Among people who stated they intended to vote for The Left in the next federal election, 61 percent said they missed Merkel, and among Green Party supporters, the figure was 52 percent. For the CDU/CSU Union, it was 22 percent, and for the SPD, 34 percent.
According to the survey, Merkel is most popular among 18- to 29-year-olds; one in three in this age group said they missed the former Chancellor. Among those over 65, the figure was only 19 percent. According to the survey, there are also differences in approval ratings between rural and urban areas: the more urban the region, the greater the longing for the former Chancellor.
Merkel handed over the office to Olaf Scholz (SPD) at the beginning of December 2021, after 16 years as Chancellor. For the survey, around 5,000 people aged 18 and over were questioned online from November 4 to 6. According to Civey, the survey is representative.
The head of the Young Union, Johannes Winkel, recently criticized the public statements made by former CDU Chancellor Angela Merkel. "It is extraordinary how often she interferes in day-to-day politics," he told the current "Spiegel." Many in the Union are "annoyed" by it.
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