A new survey, conducted by YouGov showed that the approval rating of German Chancellor Angela Merkel remained significantly higher than her American and European counterparts over the 16 years of her four terms.
According to results published on Thursday, respondents in the US, UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain were asked about their attitude towards Merkel and a majority (+17, +15, +30, +49, +23, and +61 respectively) expressed a positive assessment.
Other leaders, including US President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, UK’s PM Boris Johnson, and French President Manuel Macron, have gained remarkably less positive points.
Biden ranked second after Merkel with a positive reputation in all six countries, with the lowest rates in Italy (+24) and highest in Germany (+40).
Among European leaders, the UK's Johnson has shown the worst results, failing to get approval in all countries.
Among aspects of Merkel’s policy proposed to interviewers was Germany's economy, its cultural reputation abroad, and its contribution to mitigating the causes of climate change, along with a general direction taken by the EU in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit, a Greek economic crisis, and immigration.
“People are most impressed with Merkel’s stewardship of the German economy, which has grown 17% since 2005. Her performance in this area, among people in each country who know who she is, ranges from +21 in the United States to +76 in Spain,” the report reads.
The next parliamentary elections in Germany will take place on 26 September. Results of the vote will determine a new government, headed by a new chancellor, as Merkel has declined to run for office. According to the latest estimates, her conservative party's block of CDU/CSU has shown the worst poll results since 1984 and many believe that their chances in the upcoming elections are not promising.