All German voters, except far-right supporters, want more climate action from their chosen party - survey

All Germans want significantly more climate action from the party they would vote for in the upcoming federal election, with the exception of those who support the far right, according to a regular survey conducted by a consortium of German universities. “With the exception of potential AfD [Alternative for Germany] voters, the picture is the same across all parties: Respondents want significantly more climate protection” from their favourite party, the consortium said.

The “Planetary Health Action Survey” (PACE), which is led by Erfurt University, polled more than 1,100 respondents in late October, before the collapse of the country’s coalition government this week. Snap elections in Germany are widely expected to be called early next year.

Respondents also said they wanted more climate action from the current and the future federal government than they currently perceive. However, the survey did not ask respondents about their policy priorities for the upcoming elections, which is currently likely to be dominated by controversies about immigration and the economy.

In the survey, voters were asked how much their favourite party commits itself to climate protection, and how much it should stand up for it. Voters of the opposition Conservative CDU/CSU alliance, the Social Democrats (SPD) of chancellor Olaf Scholz, the Greens, the Free Democrats (FDP), the Left Party and the new left and pro-Russia Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), all wished their party would do more for climate action. Only supporters of the far-right AfD thought the party should do even less.