Terror attacks, asylum policies hit Merkel approval ratings

Terror attacks and Germany's refugee policy all combined to hammer Chancellor Angela Merkel's approval ratings, according to a poll by ARD-Deutschlandtrend.

Worries among Germans have increased since June when a young Afghan attacked passengers on a train in Würzburg, injuring five people, and a Syrian blew himself up in Ansbach, injuring 15. Both attacks were claimed by the so-called Islamic State.

Underwhelmed by the impact of Merkel's stance on refugees, only 47% of those surveyed approved of the chancellor compared to 59% in June.

Noteworthy in the analysis was the rise of Bavarian Prime Minister Horst Seehofer, who gained 11 points and was just behind Merkel on 44%.

“The criticism of Angela Merkel's asylum and refugee policy has increased significantly: Currently showing two thirds less or not at all satisfied (65%, up 7 points compared to April). Just one in three (34%, down 8 points) supported Merkel's... refugee policy,” the survey noted.

The survey also revealed foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier is Germany's most popular politician, with an approval rating of 71%. Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, finance minister, is second with 60%.

While Merkel's initial stance on refugees won her praise, her refusal to alter course has now become “unconvincing”, ARD-Deutschlandtrend said.

A few days after the attacks, Merkel attracted more criticism of the migration policy when she repeated her 'We can do it' slogan first used in the summer of 2015 when Germany took in more than one million migrants.

The news was not all bad for Merkel. A second survey conducted by Forsa research group for Stern magazine published on Wednesday showed 69% of Germans did not agree that her refugee policies had caused the Bavaria attacks while 28% said that they did hold her directly responsible for them.