Germans from every walk of life and in all 16 federal states favour Chancellor Angela Merkel over her Social Democratic (SPD) challenger with just over half a year to go until an election, a poll showed on Wednesday.

According to the survey from Forsa for Stern magazine, 48 percent of Germans would choose Merkel in a theoretical vote for chancellor compared to 25 percent for Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is foreign minister in her coalition government.

The poll gave Merkel a 33 point edge over Steinmeier among students, a 26 point edge among pensioners and leads of 11 and 8 points respectively among unemployed voters and blue-collar workers -- both traditional supporters of the SPD.

Highlighting the challenge for Steinmeier in the run-up to the Sept. 27 vote, the poll found that not a single professional category or federal state preferred him to Merkel, who has won admirers with a steady, consensus-seeking governing style.

Steinmeier also came in far behind Merkel when respondents were asked which candidate they would prefer to chat with over coffee, with 52 percent choosing the chancellor and 26 percent her challenger.

The chancellor preference question was based on a poll of 18,514 Germans conducted in January and February, while the coffee question result came from 1,000 respondents surveyed on Jan. 27.

While polls regularly show Steinmeier to be one of Germany's most popular politicians, he has struggled to emerge from Merkel's shadow since being anointed her challenger in September.

As a member of her government during a time of economic crisis, he has been loath to openly criticise her for fear of appearing petty.

The poll suggests he has work to do to shed his image as a grey bureaucrat whose mastery of diplomatic detail is not always matched by an ability to inspire and connect with average Germans. Steinmeier's strongest favourability score in the poll was among government bureaucrats, although he trailed Merkel in this category as well.

Nevertheless, German voters cast their ballots for parties not individuals and Merkel's personal popularity has not translated into a big boost for her conservative bloc.

The Forsa poll put their support at 33 percent, below their disappointing result of 2005, and the SPD on 24 percent.