Two-thirds of Germans no longer retain any trust in their political representatives, as the disconnect between the public and elected officials has become even greater, the latest polling reported by German news outlet Junge Freiheit revealed.
According to a Forsa survey, “Institutions Trust Ranking,” trust in all political institutions at the European, federal, and local levels has fallen to a new low.
Just 33 percent of respondents revealed they still trust the position of the federal chancellor, currently occupied by Olaf Scholz (SDP), down by 24 percentage points from the previous year. Similarly, only 34 percent say they trust the federal government in general, a decrease of 22 percentage points.
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Less than four in 10 Germans (37 percent) claim to still trust the German parliament, the Bundestag. At the same point last year, 50 percent trusted the institution to defend their interests.
Even for the typically well-respected institution of the federal presidency, trust has fallen by 12 percentage points in a year to 63 percent, the survey suggests.
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At a European level, Germans are becoming more skeptical. Trust in European Union institutions has dropped by 7 percentage points to just 31 percent, while European political parties now only garner the trust of 17 percent of the German population.
More locally, only a minority now support state governments (46 percent), mayors (44 percent), and city or municipal administrations (43 percent), a decline of between 9 to 12 points for each.
These figures drop significantly across eastern Germany where trust in politicians has hit rock bottom.
The region remains deeply skeptical of the European Union, with just 20 percent declaring their trust in the bloc’s institutions, and only 11 percent trusting European political parties.
