Key facts
- Over one in five French respondents did not know who European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was.
- 45% of German respondents believe von der Leyen is doing a bad job.
- Only 12% of French respondents think von der Leyen is doing a good job.
- A POLITICO poll found low awareness and approval of von der Leyen across Germany, France, and Spain.
- Few citizens plan to follow von der Leyen's upcoming State of the Union address.
A POLITICO poll conducted by Public First across Germany, France, and Spain has revealed a significant lack of awareness and low approval ratings for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen among EU citizens. The survey, conducted from September 13-15, found that over one in five French respondents, 10% of Spanish respondents, and 5% of German respondents did not know who von der Leyen was.
Regarding her performance, 45% of respondents in Germany stated that von der Leyen was doing a bad job, a sentiment largely driven by voters for the far-right Alternative for Germany party. In France and Spain, nearly one in three respondents shared this negative view. Conversely, only about one in five German and Spanish respondents, and just 12% in France, believed she was performing well.
Many respondents in France and Spain indicated they had no opinion or had never heard of the Commission president. The poll's findings were released shortly before von der Leyen was scheduled to deliver her annual State of the Union address. Seb Wride, head of polling at Public First, noted that von der Leyen faces anti-political sentiment and must address widespread concerns about the cost of living.
Furthermore, the poll indicated low public interest in her upcoming speech, with only about one in 10 respondents across the three countries planning to follow it closely. The survey involved over 2,000 adults in each country and was weighted to match demographic profiles, with a margin of error of ±2.2 points for Spain and Germany, and ±2.1 points for France.