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New Poll Shows Germans Reject Scrapping a Public Holiday to Lift Growth

Fresh polling leaves little political cover for a plan to drop a public holiday.

Overview

  • The Forsa survey, conducted March 25–26 and published Monday and Tuesday, found 21% in favor and 76% opposed to cutting a holiday for growth.
  • Opposition is even stronger among employed people, with only 16% supporting the cut and 82% against.
  • Party breakdowns show 31% of Union voters back the idea, while 85% of Die Linke supporters and 87% of AfD supporters oppose it.
  • The federal government has floated removing one public holiday as a quick way to add a workday.
  • The German Economic Institute estimates an extra workday could add €5–8.6 billion to GDP, but critics say it would not solve worker shortages, slow permits or the investment backlog.