Pre-Election, Germans Satisfied With Their Political System

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- While most observers consider the rise of populism among some Western nations a poke in the eye to party establishments, ahead of their general election on Sunday, Germans are largely satisfied with their elected officials and with their political system as a whole.

	Satisfied
	%
Local elected officials	73
Nationally elected officials	67
Political party	62
Politicians generally in this country	57
How opinions are represented by politicians	53
Fairness of political coverage in the media	60
Gallup World Poll 2017

At the time of the surveys in May and June, with the current election cycle in full swing, Germans were most likely to be satisfied with their local officials (73%), followed by their nationally elected officials (67%). Roughly six in 10 reported being satisfied with their political party (62%) and the fairness of political coverage in the media (60%). Currently, the Bundestag is made up of four political parties with the potential to add two more after the election, if the FDP or AfD parties achieve the 5% threshold in the second vote. Germany's two mainstream political parties are broadly popular. In a spring 2017 study, Pew Research Center finds 58% of Germans have a favorable view of Merkel's center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), while the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) enjoys even higher favorability ratings, 68%.

A smaller majority of Germans in Gallup's survey, 57%, were satisfied with politicians in general -- although barely half of Germans (53%) are satisfied with how these politicians represent the opinions of their constituents, which could be a concern on Election Day.

While polarization dominates U.S. political discourse -- in fact, the widening gap between views of Republicans and Democrats is one of the most significant trends to emerge in American society in the past two decades -- overall there are few differences among Germans in regard to their satisfaction with their country's politics. German women are more likely than German men to be satisfied with their political party and the fairness of political coverage in the media.

Already an area with room for improvement, Germans' satisfaction with how their opinions are represented drops to less than half among those in the 45 to 59 age group (48%).

	Local elected officials	Nationally elected officials	Political party	Politicians generally in country	How opinions are represented by politicians	Fairness of political coverage in media
	%	%	%	%	%	%
Age
15 to 29	69	67	61	58	52	66
30 to 44	77	66	63	56	55	62
45 to 59	70	68	58	58	48	57
60+	75	67	64	58	57	58
Gender
Male	71	64	56	57	51	56
Female	75	69	67	58	55	65
Education
Completed high school	72	66	60	56	52	58
College graduate	75	68	68	62	55	67
Gallup World Poll 2017

A Strong German Economy Likely Boosts Political Satisfaction

Economic well-being can contribute to political satisfaction and, on this score, Germany is well-placed. Employment is at a record high and heading into the election, the majority of Germans (59%) think it is a good time to find a job. With a strong manufacturing base accounting for nearly one-third of its GDP (30.3%), Germany can sustain an industrial workforce far into the future. Moreover, according to the German BDI industry association, the economy is expected to grow by more than 2% this year -- the strongest growth rate in six years.

Lending additional support to the satisfaction Germans express about their political system overall, in May and June 2017, more than two-thirds of the population (68%) approve of both their national leadership and the job Chancellor Angela Merkel is doing. While Merkel's approval has shifted over the years, it has never dipped below 51% since Gallup began tracking in 2008. Similarly, Germans' approval of the job performance of the national leadership has seen some changes over time, but ratings have been significantly higher since 2013.

Implications

In the fluid global political climate, nothing is a "sure thing." However, a recent Bertelsmann Foundation study found that 80% of Germans consider themselves "centrist" -- and, given the high rate of satisfaction with their elected officials and other aspects of political life, it appears unlikely that Germans will take this opportunity to upend its well-regarded, established political system. Of importance in the election is not only a potential fourth term for Merkel, but also the battle between the smaller parties for third place in the Bundestag -- the leaders of this party can have considerable influence in the German political arena.

Tom Abele, Managing Director IFF International, contributed to this article.