Merz ranked most unpopular world leader – survey

The German chancellor is closely followed by French President Emmanuel Macron, a Morning Consult survey suggests

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has become the world’s most unpopular leader, according to US-based opinion research institute Morning Consult.

The approval rating tracker, which covers 24 democracies around the globe, indicates that European nations have taken a solid lead in terms of least-popular leaders. The survey is based on data collected in the first week of April.

Merz has recorded the highest disapproval rate at 76%, with only 19% of respondents satisfied with his performance. The findings correspond with a recent Forsa poll, which yielded similar results, with some 20% approval and 78% expressing dissatisfaction.

The data suggests that Merz is significantly less popular among Germans than his predecessor Olaf Scholz, who had also had extremely poor ratings during his tenure. In mid-2024, for instance, only some 28% of Germans were satisfied with Scholz’s performance.

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Merz acknowledged last year that the country’s economy ended up in a “structural crisis.” The chancellor has repeatedly blamed everything but his governance for the economic slump, including previous government policies, EU regulators, the social welfare, and even Germans themselves, who purportedly call in sick too often.  

The German chancellor is effectively tied with French President Emmanuel Macron, who enjoys an approval rate of only 18% and disapproval of 75%, according to the survey. France has been locked in a deep political crisis since at least mid-2024, when Macron dissolved the National Assembly after his party suffered a crushing defeat in the European Parliament elections. The high-stakes political gamble ultimately backfired for the French president, who ended up with a dysfunctional parliament and legislative paralysis on his hands.  

Third place is held by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with some 27% approving of his performance and 65% unsatisfied. Starmer has had the lowest approval rating of any prime minister in history save for Liz Truss, with his tenure marred by governance failures and assorted scandals. All sides of the political spectrum have been taking jabs at the prime minister for his failure to tackle the UK’s cost of living crisis, as well as his disastrous appointment of Epstein-linked Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US.