Scholz's popularity down 24% in a year: Poll
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A poll conducted by Forsa institute reveals that approval rating of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reached just 33% within a year.
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz briefly closes his eyes as he addresses a press conference on current domestic and foreign policy issues in Berlin, August 11, 2022. (AFP)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz loses a 24% confidence rate in a year, falling to a 33% approval rating according to a poll carried out by Forsa Institute for market and opinion research from December 15 to 22 and consisting of 4,003 people.
The confidence in the German federal government fell by 22% within a year, the report revealed on Tuesday.
The institute also reported that support for Germany's parliament, the Bundestag, declined by 13%, reaching only 37%, while the approval rating of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier fell by 12% and now stands at 63%.
Read more: Poll shows half of Germans against sending tanks to Ukraine
Confidence in the European Union decreases by 7%, the poll numbers added.
A study conducted by INSA pollsters at the request of Bild am Sonntag and published in April 2022 showed that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's popularity tanked since he took office on December 8, 2021, with over half of the people dissatisfied with his policies.
The survey included a total of 1,002 participants. According to the study then, 49 percent of German citizens interviewed were dissatisfied with the chancellor's performance. Only 38% of those polled answered the contrary. According to the pollster, moreover half of German residents (55%) disapprove of the federal government's job, with just 35% happy with its performance.
The poll was conducted from April 11 to 14 with the participation of 1,402 citizens.
In the report, experts stated that Germans are angry at Scholz's advice to citizens to economize energy in order to fight Russia.
Read more: Germans think their nation has done enough for Ukraine: WP
Another poll published by the German Bild daily newspaper in September 2022 revealed that German Economy Minister Robert Habeck has fallen out of favor, losing his months-long position as the voters' pick due to his inability to mitigate soaring energy prices as the country undergoes a crisis.
Habeck has been up against the ropes, not knowing whether Berlin should keep its nuclear power plants running through spring and sideline his party or continue carrying out the country's plans to stop using nuclear energy while risking a complete blackout in the upcoming harsh winter.
Surging costs of power linked to gas prices have already stunted the production of various industries, such as fertilizers and aluminum manufacturers, and prompted EU governments, such as Germany, to increase their spending by billions in order to help their citizens, however falling short of appeasing the population so far.
About 60% of Germany's natural gas supply was piped in from Russia in 2020, primarily under long-term contracts.
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