New survey data show widespread public dissatisfaction in Germany over immigration policy despite declines in illegal border crossings and asylum applications.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A new German public opinion survey found that most voters believe Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition government has failed to adequately address the country’s ongoing immigration crisis.
According to an INSA survey conducted for the German newspaper BILD, 78 percent of respondents said the government has not sufficiently resolved immigration-related problems.
Only 11 percent agreed with Merz’s recent assertion that “large parts” of the migrant crisis had already been solved.
The survey also found skepticism among supporters of Merz’s own political alliance, the Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union.
According to the poll, 73 percent of CDU/CSU voters disagreed with the chancellor’s assessment of the government’s immigration performance, while only 20 percent supported his position.
The Merz government took office one year ago after forming a coalition with Germany’s Social Democratic Party.
Federal migration data show Germany has experienced declines in both illegal border crossings and asylum applications since the coalition entered office, though critics argue the reductions remain insufficient.
German federal police reported approximately 62,000 illegal entries during 2025, compared with 83,572 the previous year and 127,549 in 2023.
First-time asylum applications also declined substantially, falling to 113,236 in 2025 after reaching 229,751 in 2024 and 329,120 in 2023.
Despite those declines, deportations have remained comparatively limited.
According to migration data published by German authorities, approximately 22,000 migrants were deported from Germany last year, including relatively small numbers returned to countries such as Afghanistan and Syria.
Germany continues to experience long-term demographic changes tied to migration policies implemented over the past decade.
The country’s migrant population increased significantly following former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s 2015 migration policies, which opened Germany to large-scale arrivals from the Middle East and Africa during Europe’s migration crisis.
Current figures cited in the report estimate that approximately 16.4 million residents in Germany are foreign migrants, representing roughly one in five people living in the country.
When including individuals with what German authorities classify as an “immigration history,” including children of immigrants, the number reportedly rises to 22 million people, or approximately 26.3 percent of Germany’s population.
The debate surrounding immigration has increasingly focused on crime statistics, welfare costs, and integration challenges.
According to figures from Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office, foreign nationals accounted for 42.9 percent of all criminal suspects nationwide.
Critics of current immigration policies argue the actual impact may be larger because the figures do not include migrants who later obtained German citizenship or second-generation descendants of immigrants.
Government welfare data have also intensified political debate.
Statistics released in 2024 reportedly showed that 48 percent of recipients receiving Germany’s Bürgergeld welfare payments were foreign nationals, totaling approximately 2.7 million claimants.
The issue generated additional controversy after German Labor Minister Bärbel Bas stated last week that migrants were not coming to Germany because of welfare benefits.
Her comments drew criticism from members of her own governing coalition.
CDU lawmaker Johannes Winkel rejected Bas’s statement in comments to BILD.
“Everyone knows that there are millions of immigrants entering our social system,” Winkel said.
“This results in billions of dollars in costs for taxpayers and those insured. There is simply no point in denying the reality.”
Immigration policy remains one of the most politically divisive issues in Germany as parties across the political spectrum continue debating border controls, asylum law reforms, deportation policy, welfare eligibility, and long-term integration measures.
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