East-West contrasts noticeable
Germans more satisfied with Ukraine aid
April 16, 2024, 6:55 p.m
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Despite ongoing debates about the strength of the commitment to Ukraine, Germans are more satisfied with the aid provided than they were in February. In the RTL/ntv trend barometer, differences between East and West German ratings become clear.
According to the current RTL/ntv trend barometer, German citizens are more satisfied with the federal government’s support for Ukraine than they were six weeks ago. 42 percent of those surveyed currently consider the extent of help to be appropriate; at the end of February it was 39 percent. The increase of three percentage points marks the first upward trend in the assessment of Ukraine policy after a sharp decline in approval since the end of 2022. In December 2022, 50 percent in the Forsa survey still supported the traffic light coalition’s course.
26 percent of German citizens are of the opinion that the federal government is doing little to support Ukraine, and 27 percent believe that Germany’s commitment is too strong. At the end of February, 30 percent of those surveyed considered German help to be insufficient, compared to 28 percent who wanted less support from Berlin.
In the East-West comparison, the level of approval is very similar and is 41 percent in the East, while 42 percent of West German citizens agree with the level of support. When it comes to dissatisfied voices, the differences between the two parts of the country are clearer.
At 36 percent, significantly more East Germans criticize the current aid to Ukraine as being too high. This criticism is shared by 26 percent of respondents in the West. In contrast, significantly more West Germans (27 percent) consider support for Kiev to be too low, while only 18 percent of people in the East see it this way.
The supporters of the Greens, the FDP and the Union parties are most likely to believe that the federal government is not doing enough to support Ukraine. The opposite view, i.e. criticism for too much commitment, is particularly often shared by supporters of the AfD with 69 percent approval and the recently founded “Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht” (BSW) with 63 percent. A clear majority of SPD supporters (59 percent) agree with the traffic light course.
At 53 percent, more than half of German citizens are of the opinion that the West should influence the Ukrainian government to open up to negotiations with Russia to end the war. 41 percent think the West shouldn’t do that right now. A large majority of East Germans as well as supporters of the AfD and BSW are in favor of Western influence. Only Green Party supporters believe that the West should not do this at the moment. The supporters of the SPD, the FDP and the CDU/CSU are rather divided on this issue.
The data for the RTL/ntv trend barometer was collected by the market and opinion research institute Forsa on behalf of RTL Deutschland on April 12th and 15th. Database: 1000 respondents. Statistical margin of error: plus/minus 3 percentage points.
Further information about Forsa here.
Forsa surveys commissioned by RTL Deutschland.