Fri 27 August 2021:
According to a new poll, Angela Merkel’s approval ratings in five major European countries and the United States remain higher than those of any other current world leader, nearly 16 years after she first became Germany’s chancellor.
In all six nations surveyed by YouGov, more respondents gave a positive than a negative response when asked whether they had a favorable or unfavorable impression of Merkel, who will step down next month following four terms in office.
The veteran chancellor, who has worked with four US and French presidents, five British prime ministers, and eight Italian heads of government since her election in 2005, received net positive ratings of +61 in Spain, +49 in France, and +30 in Germany since her election in 2005.
Opinions in Italy, the United States, and the United Kingdom were slightly less positive at +23, +17, and +15, respectively, but among other world leaders, only Joe Biden – who is only eight months into his presidency and is still benefiting from a “not Trump” effect, according to polling conducted before this month’s chaotic events in Afghanistan – came close.
Justin Trudeau of Canada received a good rating, while Emmanuel Macron of France received positive ratings in only two countries: Germany and Spain. In all six countries studied, other important leaders such as China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, India’s Narendra Modi, and Britain’s Boris Johnson had net unfavorable scores.
Net unfavorable ratings for the UK prime minister were -22 in the UK, -40 in Italy, -53 in Germany, -24 in France, -48 in Spain, and -2 in the US. With a net negative approval rating of -55, Xi was the least popular international leader.
Merkel, who has been branded the world’s most powerful woman and the EU’s de facto leader, was praised for her handling of Germany’s economy. She was measured, careful, methodical, pragmatic, and frequently noncommittal.
Her response to the coronavirus crisis and to climate change received positive reviews, but her efforts to deal with Brexit were viewed less favorably, particularly in the United Kingdom, and her handling of the Greek debt crisis and Europe’s 2015 migration crisis were viewed negatively in most countries.
The survey was carried out between 9 July and 10 August with representative national samples of more than 1,000 people.
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