According to a survey performed across 24 democracies, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is the least popular leader. Approximately 76% of respondents expressed dissatisfaction with his job.
As a result, the German statesman is now far behind leaders like South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Morning Consult, a US-based opinion research firm that created a seven-day moving average of opinions, found that PM Modi was the most popular candidate.
The Most Unpopular Leader: Friedrich Merz
Merz's lack of popularity among German voters is confirmed by more than just the Morning Consult survey. Similar findings were recently obtained from a survey that Forsa performed on behalf of RTL. According to Euronews, almost 78% of respondents said they were unhappy with Merz's policy.Merz's dismal ratings have caused him to lag behind former Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who was more popular than Merz even at his lowest point, according to surveys. As of mid-June 2024, 28% of respondents expressed satisfaction with Scholz's chancellorship.
Merz declared a "autumn of reforms" to get Germany back on track after taking office last year. But according to a DW article, the pledges never came to pass.
According to a recent Deutschlandtrend survey, 84% of participants are unhappy with Merz's performance. Public trust in the leaders of the Social Democrats (SPD) coalition and the ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU)/Christian Social Union (CSU) has significantly declined.The parties' approval ratings also reflect this discontent. The CDU/CSU and SPD would not be able to win a majority in a federal election if one were to take place right now. In comparison to March of last year, both have dropped two percentage points.
Additional Leaders in the Survey
PM Modi's approval rating was 70%, according to the study. Lee Jae-myung, the president of South Korea, came next (63%). Andrej Babiš, the prime minister of the Czech Republic, came in third place with 55% of respondents expressing satisfaction with his job.
75% of respondents said they were unhappy with French President Emmanuel Macron's job, making him the second most unpopular leader.Despite starting a war with Iran, US President Donald Trump was ranked tenth from the bottom. Approximately 38% of Americans expressed approval of Trump's actions.