The FDP boss has a massive image problem. The Germans doubt that the finance minister knows what moves them. There is only one characteristic in which Lindner is clearly ahead of his long-time green rival Robert Habeck.
Not a day goes by without pithy words from the head of the FDP: “Politicians have to learn again how to get by with the money that citizens generate,” said the finance minister recently in the dispute over the federal budget. The plain language course obviously works: 59 percent of Germans find that Christian Lindner speaks intelligibly. This shows the property profile that Forsa for the star raised.
But the attribute “speaks understandably” is the only one where Lindner scored more than 50 percent. The query of other properties shows that the FDP boss apparently has a massive image problem. Only 27 percent of Germans consider him trustworthy. This is the worst value compared to the property profiles for other top politicians collected earlier in the year. 43 percent found the Green Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck trustworthy, SPD Chancellor Olaf Scholz 41 percent and CDU leader Friedrich Merz still 30 percent.
The verdict is even harder for the property “knows what moves people”. Just 24 percent of citizens have this impression of the finance minister – this is also the worst value of all four top politicians. In contrast, with 37 percent, Lindner surpasses Merz for the attribute “sympathetic”, who had only achieved 24 percent there, but is well behind Scholz and Habeck. 43 percent like the chancellor and even 53 percent like the vice-chancellor.
The FDP boss achieved slightly higher values in the categories of competence (47 percent) and leadership (43 percent). On the second point, he also clearly beats Habeck, his long-term rival in the traffic light coalition, whom only 35 percent of Germans consider “strong in leadership”.
The voters of the FDP rate Lindner much more positively. The fact that their own supporters are convinced of their top man is hardly surprising, but the extent is: 82 percent of the supporters of the Liberals consider Lindner to be competent – in previous surveys, neither Scholz, Merz nor Habeck achieved such a high value among their own clientele can.
The data was collected by the market and opinion research institute forsa for the RTL Group Germany on April 5 and 6, 2023. Database: 1001 respondents. Statistical error tolerance: +/- 3 percentage points
The property profiles for Scholz and Merz were collected in January 2023, for Habeck in March 2023
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
