A poll of East Germans commissioned by West German media showed 71 percent of those surveyed oppose German reunification, according to results available Saturday.
The poll, conducted by two respected West German public opinion research organizations, asked 1,032 East Germans of voting age in early December about their political views. It was commissioned by the weekly news magazine Der Spiegel and the ZDF television network.Spiegel reported in its latest edition, made available to news agencies late Saturday, that only 27 percent of respondents said they supported the building of a common German state, while 71 percent said they opposed it.
The magazine did not specify the poll's margin of error or provide other details.
About half the respondents, asked whom they would vote for in the first free elections in East Germany set for May 6, 1990, said they were not sure yet, Spiegel said.
Another 12 percent said they support the Communists, 7 percent said they would vote for the newly formed opposition Social Democratic Party and 5 percent said they were behind Neues Forum, the largest of the pro-reform movements.