One in five voters who previously backed Germany’s two legacy parties — the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) — say they would never vote for the respective parties again, according to new polling.
The Insa polling institute reported on Tuesday that 20 percent of citizens have voted for the CDU/CSU in a federal election but would now rule out supporting the alliance in the future. The SPD is facing a similar problem, with 19 percent saying they had previously voted for the party but would never do so again, as cited by Junge Freiheit.
The Greens were rejected by 12 percent of former voters, followed by the Free Democratic Party (FDP) on 8 percent and the Left Party on 7 percent. By contrast, only 5 percent said they had once voted for the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) but would never do so again. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance BSW recorded 3 percent on the same measure.
The figures point to a wider problem for Germany’s legacy parties, whose traditional voter bases appear increasingly fragile as the AfD continues to strengthen its position in national and state-level polling.
The polling, however, also shows the paradox that exists in relation to the AfD. While its core support is undeniably growing, it also remains the most divisive party with the highest rejection rate. Half of voters said they could not imagine voting for it, followed by The Greens on 39 percent, the Left Party on 36 percent, and the BSW at 34 percent. The legacy parties, by contrast, recorded the lowest rates of rejection, with the CDU/CSU being ruled out by 28 percent, the FDP by 27 percent, and the SPD by 26 percent.
The survey revealed a significant level of uncertainty surrounding political support in the current climate, with 23 percent of respondents saying they were certain to vote for the AfD — the largest core support of all the parties. The CDU could rely on just 15 percent of voters, the Greens 9 percent, the SPD 8 percent, and the Left Party just 6 percent.
AfD co-leader Alice Weidel is also now the preferred candidate for chancellor in a run-off with incumbent Friedrich Merz, with 33 percent to 22 percent, respectively.
The findings come as the AfD reaches a new record high in Insa’s latest national Sunday poll. The party now stands at 29 percent, seven points ahead of Merz’s CDU/CSU alliance on 22 percent. In mid-April, Merz’s party was still polling at 25 percent, while the AfD stood at 26 percent. Just a month earlier, the CDU/CSU had still been narrowly ahead.
The SPD also continues to lose ground, falling one point to 12 percent. The Greens moved ahead of the Social Democrats after gaining 1.5 points to reach 14 percent. The Left Party fell to 10 percent, while the FDP and BSW each recorded just 3 percent, leaving both below the 5 percent threshold required to enter the Bundestag.
Weidel welcomed the figures and hailed the progress her party was making. She posted on X, “29% of citizens would vote for the AfD, while the governing parties together are down to just 34%. The political shift is inevitable — we will put the interests of our country and our citizens back at the forefront!”
The national polling is reinforced by encouraging figures for the AfD from eastern Germany, where the party is showing even stronger momentum ahead of several state elections.
Unsere AfD erreicht in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern einen neuen Höchstwert (36%), die CDU stürzt auf 10% ab. Überall im Land setzt sich die Erkenntnis durch: Nur mit der AfD schaffen wir die politische Wende! pic.twitter.com/6YYqxbMQ73
— Alice Weidel (@Alice_Weidel) May 15, 2026In Saxony-Anhalt, an Insa survey showed the AfD at 42 percent, well ahead of the CDU/CSU on 24 percent. The Left Party stood at 13 percent, while the SPD trailed on 6 percent. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, an Infratest dimap survey put the AfD on 36 percent, up one point, ahead of the SPD on 27 percent, up two. The Left Party stood at 13 percent, while the CDU/CSU dropped three points to just 10 percent. The BSW fell one point to 5 percent.
Both states head to the polls in September later this year.
