COVID-19 and Leader Approval Ratings

For some leaders, their government's response to the coronavirus crisis has led to boosts in public opinion, even in countries where approval of political figures is traditionally scarce. In France, for example, President Macron had been languishing in the mid-20s range before the pandemic took hold. As data from Morning Consult shows, this is now sitting at a relatively lofty 33 percent, marking a seven point jump since March 1.

While many factors can influence public approval, one of the most extreme examples of a post-outbreak rise can be observed in Australia. There, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has seen a monumental turnaround, from 33 percent approval to 62 percent as of August 18.

Where this coronavirus goodwill ends though is in the United States, where the starkly divided population has been unmoved by Donald Trump’s crisis response to cross any of the deeply set party lines. Here, polls show a slight fall of two points for the president. In Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro’s poor handling of the spread of the virus was initially cause for a significant dip in the ratings but he has since seen a gradual uptick in approval - not yet enough to return to pre-Covid levels though, the president is still down 10 points on March.