Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has been in office for almost 100 days. This is the time to take stock of the new government's overall performance.

Back in May, Merz stated in an interview that he could no longer understand what goals Israel was pursuing in the Gaza Strip. Most recently, the chancellor unequivocally called on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to alleviate the suffering of the approximately 2 million people living in the narrow coastal strip on the eastern Mediterranean. Unlike France, the UK and Canada, however, Germany is still hesitant to recognize a Palestinian state.

On Friday, the German government imposed a partial export ban on military equipment to Israel. Germany will "not approve any exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice," Merz said.

Do people in Germany think this is the right course of action? According to the latest poll, a clear majority believes the chancellor should increase pressure on Israel.

However, the fate of the hostages still being held captive by the Islamist terrorist group Hamas remains the main concern.

Both Merz and his predecessor, Olaf Scholz of the center-left Social Democratic Party(SPD) — currently Merz's junior coalition partner — had always emphasized that they believed Germany still had a special responsibility for Israel's existence.

But among voters surveyed this week, only 31% still think so. For the latest edition of public broadcaster ARD's Deutschlandtrend poll, the opinion research institute infratest-dimap surveyed 1,321 eligible voters between August 4 and 6.

Only 4 out of 10 pleased with Merz

Merz has been focusing primarily on foreign policy in his first few months in office. Aside from calling on Netanyahu to show restraint in Gaza, he also visited US President Donald Trump at the White House in June and showed support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression.

On the domestic policy front, he has been focusing on irregular immigration.

The pension, nursing care and health systems are in desperate need of reform. However, the latest survey shows a lack of confidence in the government's ability to take the necessary measures to make these areas fit for the future.

The results of the general election on February 23 saw a rise in support for the far right. More than five months later, this trend has continued: 24% of respondents now say they would vote for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The conservative CDU/CSU bloc remains in the lead with 27%.

Support for the three other parties represented in the Bundestag — the SPD, the Greens and the Left Party — is unchanged.

Merz has seen his popularity ratings decline. In February, before the election, voters expected Merz to effectively combat irregular immigration. Now, they aren't so confident. Four out of 10 respondents believe Merz is up to the job — only his own party's supporters are truly satisfied.

Over the next few years, €500 billion (about $581 billion) has been earmarked to renovate railways, roads and build better schools, with at least the same amount again dedicated to upgrading the German army. This is a clear departure from the conservatives' campaign promise not to take out any new loans.

Only 26% of those surveyed now believe Merz is someone who can be trusted, 3% less than in February.

US tariffs represent a major concern for German economy

US President Trump has imposed a 15% tariff on most goods from the European Union, and 50% on steel and aluminium. The US, in turn, is exempt from tariffs on exports to the EU. This agreement with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proven to be highly controversial.

Germans remain concerned about economic stability. A clear majority of respondents to the latest poll are concerned or even very concerned that US tariffs will further hurt the German economy.

However, the number of people expressing concern has gone down, a drop that is seen as a consequence of Trump's fluctuating policies.

This article was originally written in German.

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