European Leaders Sink to 18%-27% Approval as Economic Pain and Global Turmoil Fuel Voter Anger
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 16
European Leaders Sink to 18%-27% Approval as Economic Pain and Global Turmoil Fuel Voter Anger
2 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 16
Polling across Europe’s biggest economies shows deep voter discontent: Emmanuel Macron is on 18% approval, Friedrich Merz 19% and Keir Starmer 27%, with disapproval for all three near or above 65%.
Analysts tie that backlash to weak growth and falling economic weight, with Europe’s share of global output dropping to 23% in 2024 from 33% in 2005 and France, the UK and Germany forecast to grow just 0.9%, 0.9% and 0.6% this year.
That pressure has been compounded by leaders’ own missteps and unmet promises, while governments ask voters to absorb higher costs from shocks including the break with cheap Russian energy and China’s industrial rise.
Denmark stands out as a partial exception: Mette Frederiksen remains competitive after seven years in power, helped by tougher immigration politics, a steadier response to Trump’s Greenland claims and an economy expected to grow 2%-3%.
As European leaders' popularity plummets, is the continent becoming too weak to navigate the rivalry between the US and China?
Is the mass rejection of Europe's leaders a temporary crisis, or a permanent failure of its political model?
With public debt soaring and voters rejecting reforms, how can Europe's leaders escape their continent's economic doom loop?