Status: 06.01.2022 6:00 p.m.
A majority of Germans consider it right to reduce the isolation and quarantine times for infected people and contact persons. Almost 60 percent fear loudly ARD Germany trend a new lockdown.
A majority of Germans would think it would be right if the federal-state round on Friday decided to shorten the isolation and quarantine period. That is the result of a representative survey by infratest dimap for the ARD Germany trend.
Accordingly, two thirds (67 percent) are in favor of reducing the quarantine period for contact persons of infected people if they are symptom-free. Just as many are in favor of reducing the isolation time for infected people if they have tested negative and are symptom-free.
According to the current regulations, a distinction is made between different virus variants for the duration of the quarantine. In the case of an Omicron infection, infected people must be in isolation for at least 14 days and then require a negative test. Close contacts of Omikron infected people have to be in quarantine for two weeks.
In order to relieve the health authorities and to avoid that significant parts of the population are absent due to isolation or quarantine in the event of an increase in the number of infections, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach and the Robert Koch Institute developed a concept for the meeting of the federal and state governments on Friday, according to which both the isolation and quarantine periods are to be shortened in the future.
More support for corona measures than in December
One day before the federal and state governments sit together again to discuss the next steps in dealing with the pandemic, the mood among the population is significantly different than at the beginning of December. A month ago, a clear majority of citizens rated the Corona rules applicable at the time as not strict enough.
Since then, some measures have been tightened and the number of cases has also decreased on a nationwide average over December. The number of new corona infections has been rising again for a few days.
Health Minister Lauterbach had therefore announced: “Unfortunately, tightening will be necessary in order to counter the heavy wave that is coming our way.” Currently, 31 percent of Germans (-29 points compared to the beginning of December) rate the current measures as insufficient; 42 percent (+22) consider it appropriate – and a quarter of those surveyed are currently going too far (+8).
Majority is concerned about extensive closings
Concern about new variants of the corona virus, such as the omicron variant that is currently spreading, is currently driving half of the population (51 percent), but it is significantly less than at the beginning of December (-9 points).
The fear of bottlenecks in medical care has also decreased: 50 percent are currently expressing this concern (-15). The fear of infecting oneself has also decreased slightly by 30 percent (-3). The fact that this concern is no longer the determining factor is certainly related to the vaccination rate of a good 70 percent and the associated protection against serious illness for large parts of the population.
On the other hand, the fear that social life could be cut back again in large parts of the country due to the pandemic is much greater among the population: 59 percent are currently expressing this concern.
Lauterbach’s work is rated positively
Less than a month after the start of government, the work of SPD Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (66 percent) and SPD Chancellor Olaf Scholz (60 percent; +9 to December) was rated positively by the majority.
Incidentally, the then Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) had a similarly high approval rating as Lauterbach at the moment. However, this approval then fell sharply again in the course of the pandemic.
With his approval rating of 60 percent, the start of the new Chancellor Olaf Scholz is comparable to the beginning of the Chancellorship of Angela Merkel: Right after taking office in December 2005, 59 percent of those surveyed showed themselves to be in the ARD Germany trend satisfied with the then new Chancellor. When SPD Chancellor Gerhard Schröder took office in December 1998, it was 56 percent.
Some cabinet members are still unknown to many
Of the surveyed members of the current cabinet, Lauterbach and Scholz then follow, at a noticeable distance, FDP finance minister Christian Lindner (49 percent; +11) and Greens Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (48 percent; +6).
In contrast, the work of Annalena Baerbock as Foreign Minister, despite a slight gain in sympathy (+3), continues to be rated largely negatively (32:57 percent). However, many German citizens still have to get an idea of parts of the new ministerial ranks: Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD), Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) and Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) are only known to a minority of those surveyed.
Only a third are positive about Merz
The designated CDU party chairman Friedrich Merz does not have to struggle with awareness problems. Less than a month before his upcoming election at the CDU federal party convention, however, only a third (32 percent) comment positively on himself, compared to 60 percent among Union supporters.
Like Merz, the new SPD chairman, Lars Klingbeil, is rated positively by around one in three eligible voters (34 percent), and a good half among SPD supporters (55 percent). The work of the AfD parliamentary group leader Tino Chrupalla is currently rated positively by 13 percent (+4 to November). And the group leader of the left, Amira Mohamed Ali, is still hardly known. Your work is currently valued by 12 percent of those surveyed (+4).
USA as a partner country is gaining trust
In addition to coping with the corona pandemic, the new federal government is also facing challenges in other policy areas, including foreign policy. On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Baerbock took office with her US colleague Antony Blinken. After their meeting, both underlined the importance of the transatlantic partnership.
If you ask the Germans, a majority in the USA now sees a trustworthy partner again. The United States made up for a loss of trust among its citizens after President Joe Biden took office. 56 percent of respondents (+37 compared to August 2019) now consider the country to be a country that can be trusted.
The current assessment is thus on a level similar to that immediately before the end of Barack Obama’s presidency. At the beginning of the Obama presidency, however, Germans’ confidence in the USA was significantly higher (78 percent) and was then clouded by the NSA affair, among other things, but also by the different points of view in Afghanistan and Libya, for example.
China and Russia are losing their reputation
A completely different mood can be seen in two other countries: Russia and China have clearly lost sympathy among German citizens in recent years. Russia is currently seen by 17 percent of respondents as a trustworthy partner (-11 to August 2019) and China is only seen by 7 percent (-21 to February 2019).
The confidence of Germans in France is still high: 81 percent consider the neighboring country to be a trustworthy partner (-8). Great Britain has 46 percent (+9), Poland 35 percent, Ukraine 30 percent.
Split over sanctions against Russia
In view of the escalating situation in Ukraine, various diplomatic appointments will be held in the coming days, including some European countries. Two thirds of Germans (65 percent) would like the European states to play a stronger role in mediation.
Meanwhile, at their meeting, Baerbock and Blinken affirmed that both the US and Germany – or the EU, respectively – are willing to react with tougher sanctions should there be a military escalation on the part of Russia in Ukraine. In addition, the attitude of the Germans remains divided. As before, just under one in two (47 percent; +3 to 2018) is open to tougher sanctions against Russia, but a good four in ten (41 percent) are not. As before, such tougher measures against Russia are more likely to meet with rejection in East Germany.
Majority for Nord Stream 2
However, tensions between the USA and Germany persist in dealing with Russia, especially with regard to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Both European countries and the USA have repeatedly criticized the pipeline, which is supposed to deliver natural gas from Russia directly to Germany. The line is finished, but not yet operational.
The majority of Germans (60 percent) want to hold on to the controversial Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline. The greatest approval can be found among AfD supporters. For the most part, only supporters of the Greens are negative about the project. In general, Nord Stream 2 finds much greater support in eastern Germany (70 percent) than in western Germany. But the Baltic Sea pipeline is also more popular in the western German states (57:30 percent).
ARD Germany trend in January 2022
Claudia Müller, WDR, 6.1.2022 · 5:48 p.m.
Investigation facility
Population: Eligible voters in Germany
Survey method: Random-based telephone * and online survey
* of which 60 percent landline, 40 percent mobile
Survey period: January 3rd to 5th, 2022
Falling number: 1,325 respondents (866 telephone interviews and 459 online interviews)
Weighting: according to socio-demographic characteristics and
Reminder voting behavior
Fluctuation range: 2 * to 3 ** percentage points
* with a share value of 10 percent ** with a share value of 50 percent
Implementing institute: infratest dimap
The results are rounded to whole percentages in order to avoid false expectations of precision. This is because fluctuation ranges must be taken into account for all representative surveys. In the case of a survey with 1000 respondents, these amount to around three percentage points for large parties and around one point for smaller parties. In addition, the rounding error is significant for small parties. For these reasons, no party is shown under three percent in the Sunday question.