Colombo (LNW): In October 2023, the government’s approval rating plummeted to 9%, marking a sharp decline from 21 per cent in June 2023, revealed the recent ‘Mood of the Nation’ poll conducted by Verité Research in a Gallup-style approach.
The survey also indicated a substantial decrease in overall satisfaction with the state of the nation, with only 6 per cent expressing contentment, down from 12 per cent in June 2023. Additionally, the economic confidence score experienced a negative shift from (-) 44 in June to a more pessimistic (-) 62 in October.
The ‘Mood of the Nation’ poll, conducted thrice annually, utilises an island-wide, nationally representative sample to ensure a maximum error margin below 3 per cent at a 95 per cent confidence level.
Regarding government approval, a mere 9% expressed their approval, with 7 per cent remaining undecided. This 9% rating closely resembles the figures from January and October 2022 and February 2023, which stood at 10 per cent.
For general satisfaction with the state of Sri Lanka, only 6 per cent claimed to be satisfied, hitting a low of 4 per cent in February 2023.
Economic confidence is determined by a range of multiple-choice questions addressing the economic condition and trajectory. Scores can range from a negative (-) 100 to a positive (+) 100, with a positive score indicating a more optimistic outlook on economic conditions. Notably, the current (-) 62, although a decline from June, is an improvement from the levels in 2022, which ranged between (-) 96 and (-) 78.
The ‘Mood of the Nation’ survey aims to assess public sentiment concerning government approval, overall satisfaction, and economic confidence. It encompasses responses from 1,029 Sri Lankan adults, collected from October 21 to 29, 2023. The survey is conducted as part of Verité Research’s syndicated survey instrument in collaboration with Vanguard Survey (Pvt) Ltd, enabling other organisations to gauge public sentiment in Sri Lanka.
