Only 17% of Germans believe the Bundeswehr is capable of defending the country, according to a poll
Most Germans are not confident in the Bundeswehr's ability to effectively defend the country in the event of an external attack.
This is evidenced by the results of a survey conducted by the Insa Institute on behalf of the newspaper Bild.
According to the study, only 17% of Germans surveyed believe that the German Armed Forces are capable of adequately defending the country in the event of an attack by another state.
At the same time, 72% of respondents expressed complete or partial distrust in the Bundeswehr’s defense capabilities.
The pollsters also asked how concerned German citizens are about a possible Russian attack.
According to the survey results, 38% of Germans expressed concern about potential Russian aggression, while about half of the respondents stated that they do not feel serious anxiety about this.
However, back in September 2025, the mood was different: at that time, 52% of respondents expressed concern about a possible attack by the Russian Federation.
Separately, the study revealed growing anxiety among Germans regarding threats in the digital sphere.
About two-thirds of respondents fear cyberattacks, sabotage, and disinformation campaigns that could negatively impact life in Germany.
Only 22% of respondents said they were not very concerned or not concerned at all about potential cyber threats.
The survey was conducted on May 21–22, 2026, among 1,005 residents of Germany.
As a reminder, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius continues to hold first place in the popularity ratings of German politicians and remains the undisputed leader in public support.
As a reminder, according to sociological studies, the majority of citizens do not support the idea of Volodymyr Zelenskyy remaining in office as president after the war ends, despite his current level of trust during martial law.
It is worth noting that Zelenskyy’s approval rating dropped significantly in April.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to its lowest level since the start of his presidency.
Prior to this, Donald Trump’s approval rating had dropped to a critical 36%, a significant decline from the start of his term, when the U.S. president had 47%.
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance has emerged as the leading conservative contender for the upcoming presidential election.
