Large majority of Germans see SPD backing Merkel coalition - poll

BERLIN (Reuters) - Roughly three out of four Germans expect grassroots members of the Social Democrats (SPD) to approve a new coalition government with Angela Merkel's conservatives in a party vote over the coming weeks, according to a poll published on Friday.

The survey, by the Electoral Research Group (FGW) for public broadcaster ZDF, was taken between Tuesday and Thursday, meaning it included reactions to the "grand coalition" policy blueprint agreed between the rival parties in the early morning hours of Wednesday.