To deliver or not to deliver?
Survey shows slight shift on Taurus topic
September 19, 2023, 3:27 p.m
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Like the Chancellor, a majority of Germans continue to oppose the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. However, the mood is shifting compared to the previous survey. There are divided opinions among SPD supporters.
In the debate about the delivery of Taurus cruise missiles, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has the majority of German citizens on his side. Like Scholz, 57 percent of Germans reject delivery of the rockets. Compared to the beginning of August, this majority has become smaller: At that time, 66 percent spoke out against a delivery.
35 percent of Germans are in favor of the Federal Republic of Ukraine making Taurus available. In the survey at the beginning of August it was 28 percent.
In East Germany, 25 percent are in favor of delivery, 62 percent are against it. In West Germany, 36 percent are in favor and 57 percent are against. Divided according to party preferences, the majority of Greens and FDP supporters support a delivery of Taurus cruise missiles: Among Greens supporters, 52 percent are in favor and 35 percent are against; among FDP supporters the ratio is 50 to 42 percent.
Union supporters against Taurus delivery
The mood in the SPD is almost divided: 43 percent of its supporters are in favor of Germany delivering Taurus to Ukraine, 45 percent are against it. Among Union supporters, 36 percent are in favor of the delivery, 55 percent are against it. The AfD has 15 percent approval of the delivery, 84 percent reject it. While CDU leader Friedrich Merz is calling for Taurus missiles to be delivered to Ukraine, Ukraine is rejecting any military support for the country invaded by Russia.
When it comes to the question of whether the delivery of additional weapons and ammunition decided by many NATO states and the EU will enable Ukraine to regain larger parts of the territories occupied by Russia, German citizens are further divided into two equal camps: 47 percent believe that, 47 percent do not believe that.
The supporters of the Greens (66 percent), but also the majority of those from the SPD, Union and FDP, are most likely to believe that the additional arms deliveries will enable Ukraine to reclaim larger areas. East Germans (58 percent) and, above all, AfD supporters (80 percent) are particularly likely to express doubts about Ukraine’s ability to recapture larger parts of the occupied territories with the help of additional arms deliveries.
Germans disagree on the question of compromises
A similarly divided opinion emerges when asked whether Ukraine should be prepared to make territorial concessions at some point. The question was: “If negotiations to end the war were to take place at some point, should Ukraine be prepared to make concessions and give up areas in eastern Ukraine?” 46 percent answered yes and 44 percent answered no.
While a narrow majority of 46 to 44 percent in West Germany is against demanding territorial concessions from Ukraine, East Germans and AfD supporters in particular are in favor of it. The majority of supporters of the Greens and SPD answered no.
Only a minority of 27 percent of Germans share the assumption that Western states will not continue their military support for Ukraine if Ukraine does not succeed in significantly pushing back Russia militarily in the foreseeable future. 63 percent of Germans say that Western countries will continue to support Ukraine with weapons and ammunition. On this question, the opinion in East and West Germany and across all political camps is very consistent.
The data was collected by the market and opinion research institute Forsa on behalf of RTL Deutschland on September 15th and 18th. Database: 1001 respondents. Statistical margin of error: plus/minus 3 percentage points.
Further information about Forsa here.
Forsa surveys commissioned by RTL Deutschland.