Most World Leaders See Approval Ratings Surge Amid Coronavirus. Not Trump.

TOPLINE

Approval ratings of democratic leaders around the world have soared since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, but some heads of state—particularly Trump, Brazil’s Bolsanaro and Japan’s Abe—have seen far smaller boosts, or even declines, amid criticism of how they’ve handled the crisis.

KEY FACTS

Crucial statistics

The coronavirus pandemic has boosted the approval ratings for almost every leader of the world’s ten biggest democracies, according to recent analysis from pollster Morning Consult. India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, has the highest popularity among them: As of April 14, his net approval rating is 68, up from 62 at the beginning of the year. Mexico’s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has the second-highest net approval over that period (36), though it fell slightly from 39 in January. During that same stretch of time, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has seen the largest surge in domestic popularity, with his net approval now up to 26 (from negative 26 on January 1). Morning Consult’s data shows that among all ten countries surveyed, Japan’s Abe has the lowest rating (at negative 33) and worst decline in net approval, having fallen from negative 18 at the start of 2020. 

Key background

While Americans tend to support their president in the initial onset of a crisis—due to a “rally around the flag effect”—that hasn’t necessarily happened in the case of Trump. The highest approval for any U.S. president came after the September 11 terrorist attacks, when George W. Bush’s ratings skyrocketed to 89.8%. Similarly, when the Iranian hostage crisis began in 1979, Jimmy Carter’s approval ratings jumped from 32% to 56%.

According to Morning Consult’s daily survey, President Trump’s net approval rose only slightly since the coronavirus began, from negative 10 at the start of January to negative 3 by mid-April. His current approval rating of 43% (per Gallup), only slightly higher than earlier this year, therefore pales in comparison to that of his predecessors while in time of crisis.

Further reading

How the Coronavirus Outbreak Is Impacting Public Opinion (Morning Consult)

The coronavirus polling bump is real. But Trump’s is abnormally small. (Washington Post)

Democratic leaders win surge of approval during Covid-19 crisis (The Guardian)

As governor’s and world leaders’ approval surges during crisis, Trump sees smaller gains (NBC News)

Americans are not rallying around Donald Trump during the pandemic (The Economist)

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