51 percent of Germans oppose black-red coalition's plan to slash heat pump grants, Civey poll shows
A representative poll shows 51 percent of Germans oppose government plans to scale back grants for heat pumps, with SPD voters especially critical of the black-red coalition's policy.
Public mood turns against subsidy reform
A representative survey conducted by Civey for the climate action group GermanZero finds the public broadly hostile to the black-red coalition's intent to curtail subsidies for heat pumps and other climate-friendly heating systems. The poll, which surveyed 2,500 people between July 8 and 9, shows 51 percent of respondents view the proposed cuts negatively. Digging into the intensity of this sentiment, 38 percent of the overall sample described their view as very negative.
- Overall negative view
- 51 %
- Very negative view
- 38 %
Partisan lines on climate spending
Attitudes fracture sharply along party preferences. Among supporters of the ruling SPD, opposition is particularly pronounced: 58 percent reject the subsidy rollback, while only 28 percent express a positive view. The picture is murkier within the CDU/CSU camp. A plurality of 42 percent among centre-right voters view the plans favourably, but 34 percent still oppose them, leaving a sizeable portion undecided, according to the Civey data.
- SPD supporters against
- 58 %
- CDU/CSU supporters against
- 34 %
The shrinking incentive for green heating
Currently, households switching from fossil-fuel boilers to heat pumps can tap a subsidy covering up to 70 percent of eligible costs. The maximum investment grant caps at 21,000 euros. These incentives, anchored in the existing state support framework for the heating transition, are not scheduled to vanish overnight but will step down in phases. The government intends the maximum subsidy level to drop by several thousand euros by the end of the decade, a path Berlin says is forced by tight public finances and the need for budget consolidation.
- Maximum subsidy of up to 70% (up to €21,000)
- Subsidy to be reduced in a phased manner by several thousand euros
Rationale and next steps
Officials frame the phased reduction as a pragmatic response to strained fiscal conditions. The planned tapering means homeowners eyeing a heating system replacement in the late 2020s will receive substantially less state support than early adopters. The Civey survey injects a fresh political calculus into the debate as the coalition navigates between its climate ambitions and spending constraints, with a crucial bloc of its own voters signaling deep unease about the direction of travel.
