PM Modi’s approval ratings rise to 70%, highest among 13 world leaders, survey finds
India

PM Modi’s approval ratings rise to 70%, highest among 13 world leaders, survey finds

The development came months after Modi’s ratings took a hit amid the massive second Covid-19 wave across the country.

   
File photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi | PTI

Modi's 'ascetic' lockdown look | PTI

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has the highest approval ratings among 13 world leaders as of 2 September, according to a survey conducted by US-based global leader approval rating tracker Morning Consult.

Data collected by Morning Consult via its Political Intelligence unit showed Modi’s approval ratings rose to 70 per cent on 31 August, ahead of US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, among others.

The development came months after Modi’s ratings took a hit amid the massive second Covid-19 wave across the country. In May, his approval ratings had dipped to 63 per cent, the lowest since August 2019, from when Political Intelligence has been maintaining its popularity graph.

Modi’s disapproval ratings on 2 September, according to the weekly survey, also came down to 25 per cent. The survey included online interviews of approximately 2,126 adults.

“In India, the sample is representative of the literate population… Surveys are weighted in each country by age, gender, region, and, in certain countries, education breakdowns based on official government sources,” the tracker noted.

Morning Consult plots its graphs based on a “seven-day moving average of all adults in a given country with a margin of error of between +/- 1-3%”.


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Highest among world leaders

Modi’s net approval ratings (45) were highest among the 13 world leaders including US President Joe Biden (4), German Chancellor Angela Merkel (11), Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (-5), French President Emmanuel Macron (-23), UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson (-11) and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (-15).

Net approval ratings are calculated by subtracting the day’s disapproval ratings from the approval ratings. Negative net approval ratings indicate that most people are dissatisfied with the leader.

In the past few months, Modi’s approval ratings saw a dip that lasted from May to July, coinciding with the second Covid wave and its aftermath. The ratings started rising again in the initial weeks of August. His disapproval ratings were at the highest in May, following which they dipped in July and have placated since.

Noteworthy, among the other world leaders, is Biden’s approval ratings, which have taken a hit in the past month amid the US government’s controversial handling of the situation in Afghanistan. On 31 August, Biden’s disapproval ratings rose to 44 per cent — the highest since he took office in January.

Meanwhile, UK PM Boris Johnson’s net approval ratings indicate that public opinion on the leader is worsening.

Approval ratings of Merkel and Justin Trudeau also took a hit in the past month.


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