Arya News - More than half of Germans believe they cannot freely express their opinion, a poll conducted by Swiss company Tenor and published by German Welt newspaper on Sunday revealed.
Fifty-seven percent of Germans feel it is currently better to "be careful" when voicing their views, the survey showed. The strongest apprehensions were recorded among the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party supporters, with only 11% of AfD voters saying they feel free in expressing their views, while the remaining 89% said otherwise. Concerns over freedom of expression are more pronounced among residents of eastern German states, where 64% said they feel reserved in expressing their opinions. In western Germany, 55% of respondents advocated for caution. Only 18% of Germans said they approved of the country"s social and political course, with the remaining 82% expressing the opposite opinion, the study showed. Age-wise, the strongest dissatisfaction with Germany"s political course was expressed by respondents aged 45 to 49 years. At the same time, among all age groups from 16 to 60 years and older, at least 80% of respondents have described themselves as dissatisfied with Germany"s political path. An overwhelming 94% of AfD voters disapprove of Germany"s social and political trajectory, while 91% of the Left Party voters described its socio-political course as "not good." The online survey was conducted from November 26 to December 3 among 1,500 people. An October poll conducted by the Forsa Institute for the n-tv and RTL broadcasters showed that only 26% of Germans were satisfied with Chancellor Friedrich Merz"s job performance, his lowest approval rating to date. The number of those discontent with the conservative leader rose to a record of 71%, up from 52% in May when he was appointed chancellor.