A fresh Insa survey reveals that the Alternative for Germany (AfD) has made significant gains in voter support as Germany braces for a snap federal election in February. Collected in the first days of the new year, the poll suggests the AfD would capture 21.5 percent if the vote were held next Sunday — the party's highest polling figure in a year.

The conservative Union bloc (CDU/CSU), led by Chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz, maintains its December share at 31 percent, while the ruling Social Democratic Party (SPD) experiences a mild setback, falling by one percentage point to 15.5 percent.

The Greens, under Robert Habeck, climbed by 1.5 points to 13.5 percent, while the BSW party slipped by one percentage point to 6.5 percent.

Meanwhile, the Free Democratic Party (FDP) which was co-governing until recently, currently falls below the initial five-percent threshold required for Bundestag representation at 4 percent, as does the Left Party on 3 percent.

The survey also examined how voter intentions evolved over the holiday period. One in two respondents said they discussed politics with relatives and friends, and one in ten reported changing their voting preference afterward — a potentially decisive factor shaping the hotly-contested ballot next month.

Speaking to Bild, Insa chief Hermann Binkert noted that the Union could "choose between three parties" to form a governing majority — the SPD, Greens, and the AfD — though Merz has repeatedly dismissed any prospect of collaborating with the right-wing party.

Despite this stance, AfD co-chair Alice Weidel on Monday urged Merz to abandon the so-called cordon sanitaire against her party, invoking the Austrian example where right-wing FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl is now on track to become chancellor.

"The firewall against the AfD will not last," Weidel insisted.

The poll results come shortly after the Magdeburg Christmas market terror attack, in which a Saudi national drove his vehicle into a festive crowd in late December. Six people were killed and nearly 300 injured in the attack, which has spurred renewed debate over national security and immigration policy. Calls for tighter border controls and stronger vetting processes have become a central theme in the campaign discourse of both right-leaning and mainstream parties.