MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Almost eight Germans out of 10 think corporations have significant influence on political decisions made by the government, a YouGov poll revealed on Wednesday.
Some 72 and 77 percent of those polled said that the European Union and banks, respectively, also had strong influence on German politics.
Nearly 70 percent of respondents believe that German politicians make decisions based on personal expedience. Only one in five of those surveyed think politicians act in the public interest.
A vast majority of Germans would prefer banks and corporations to be less influential in the country's politics, with only 13 and 18 percent respectively holding the view that the government should consider financial institutions' and large businesses' interests in the decision-making process, according to the poll.
