The government’s approval rating has surged to 62% in February 2025, marking a significant rise from 24% in July 2024, according to the latest ‘Mood of the Nation’ poll conducted by Verité Research. This sharp increase follows the recent election and reflects growing public confidence in governance.
For the first time since the economic crisis, a majority of Sri Lankans (55%) believe that economic conditions in the country are “getting better.” This marks a substantial shift from July 2024, when only 30% shared this optimism.
Despite the positive trend, 47% of respondents still rate the economy as being in “poor condition.” However, this is a notable improvement from the 71% who held this view in July last year. The percentage of those who disapprove of the government’s performance has also dropped dramatically from 60% to 16%, while those who feel the economy is worsening have declined from 65% to just 14%.
The survey found that 62% of respondents approve of the way the current government is working, more than doubling the previous round’s 24%. Meanwhile, only 16% said they disapprove, a sharp decline from 60% in July 2024. When asked about economic conditions in the country, 55% believe they are “getting better,” compared to 30% in the previous survey. Only 14% think the economy is deteriorating, a significant drop from 65% last year.
In assessing the state of the economy, 35% of respondents rated it as either “good” or “excellent,” an increase from 28% in July 2024. At the same time, 47% still consider it “poor,” but this figure has dropped by 24 points from last year’s 71%.
The ‘Mood of the Nation’ poll is part of the Syndicated Surveys instrument by Verité Research, with fieldwork conducted by Vanguard Survey (Pvt) Ltd. The survey was based on a nationally representative multi-stage randomised sample of 1,050 Sri Lankan adults from separate households, carried out between 31 January and 5 February 2025. The study has a maximum sampling error margin of ±3.0% at a 95% confidence level. Additional errors may arise due to implementation constraints.
