star survey
More money for the military? 81 percent of Germans are in favor
Top Gun Olaf? The Chancellor visits the final assembly of the Eurofighter at Airbus in Manching in January 2024
© HBMxMedia
Germany has just reached its goal of spending two percent of its economic output on defense. And many citizens think that spending should stay the same or increase.
This time Olaf Scholz was right. In an interview at the Munich Security Conference, the Chancellor said: “The vast majority of Germans understand that we now have to permanently spend more money on our defense.” As a Forsa survey for the star showed that 46 percent of citizens are actually in favor of spending two percent of economic output on defense in the next few years. 35 percent are even in favor of increasing spending even more. Only 17 percent advocate a reduction in the defense budget.
Last week, the federal government was able to report compliance with the two percent target to NATO for the first time in many years. In absolute figures it is around 73 billion euros and therefore a record value. Germany last exceeded the two percent mark in 1992. During the Cold War, the rate was regularly over three percent. Currently, the goal is only achieved through the 100 billion special fund for the Bundeswehr. From 2028, Chancellor Scholz wants to implement the two percent target with funds from the general budget. He had admitted: “We are missing the money that we spend on our security now and in the future.” And he had added: “But without security, everything else is nothing.” There is a two percent target at the annual growth in economic output is measured, military spending must increase in absolute amounts year after year.
Scholz can be sure of broad support for his course. Apparently the fear of Putin has left its mark on the population. Support for high military spending cuts across the supporters of all parties. Among SPD voters, 58 percent are in favor of maintaining the increased level and a further 35 percent are in favor of a further increase. Among Green voters, 59 percent are in favor of perpetuating defense spending and 26 percent are in favor of a further increase. The vote of the FDP voters is clearest: 43 percent are in favor of an unchanged high defense budget and a further 51 percent are in favor of an even higher defense budget. AfD supporters are most likely to support lower spending, at 27 percent, and voters from the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) are most likely to favor lower spending, at 39 percent. But the majority of the new party’s voters, who are very critical of defense spending, are also in favor of high military spending: 41 percent are in favor of maintaining the two percent mark, 14 percent in favor of an increase in spending.
The data was collected by the market and opinion research institute forsa for stern and RTL Deutschland on February 15th and 16th. Database: 1004 respondents. Statistical margin of error: +/- 3 percentage points