Latest Mood of the Nation Survey Shows Increase in Negative Outlook

The approval rating of the government fell from 9% in October 2023 to 7% in February 2024, according to the latest round of the Gallup style ‘Mood of the Nation’ poll of Verité Research.

The survey showed that only 9% rated the current economic conditions as either excellent or good, which is a drop from 16% in October 2023.

90% thought that the economic conditions in the country were getting worse, whereas in October 2023 only 66% had this negative view.

1. Government Approval Rating | 7% |

To the question, “Do you approve or disapprove of the way the current government is working?”, 7% (almost 7.5%) of the respondents said that they approve (with an error margin of ± 1.81%). The percentage saying they disapproved was 85%. The approval rating is its lowest since June 2022.

2. Economic Conditions Rating | Poor: 91% |

When asked to “Rate the economic conditions in the country today” as either excellent, good or poor, 91% said it was poor (with an error margin of ±1.94%). This is an increase in the negative rating from 73% in June 2023 and 81% in October 2023.

3. Economic Outlook | Getting Better: 9% |

To the question “Do you think that the economic conditions in the country as a whole are getting better or getting worse?”  9% of the respondents believed that the economy was getting better (with an error margin of ± 1.91%). It was 8% in October 2023. However, the percentage that thinks it is getting worse has increased from 66% in October 2023 to 90% at present; suggesting that those who didn’t take a firm view in October 2023 have now taken the view that it is getting worse.

Survey Implementation

This regularly conducted poll is part of the Syndicated Surveys instrument of Verité Research. The polling partner was Vanguard Survey (Pvt) Ltd. This instrument also provides other organisations the opportunity to survey the sentiments of Sri Lankans.

The latest poll was based on a nationally representative multi-stage randomised sample of 1,044 Sri Lankan adults from separate households and was carried out from 16 to 25 February 2024. This survey was designed to have a maximum sampling error margin of ±3.03% at a 95% confidence level. Error margins can be further affected by lapses that could arise in the process of implementation.