A new survey by American political intelligence firm Morning Consult has shown that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is currently the world's most popular leader among major democracies, with an overwhelming 71 percent of those surveyed approving of his job performance.
As per the survey, 21 percent of respondents disapprove of Modi's leadership role. Overall, the Indian PM is found to enjoy a net popularity of 50 points, the highest for any leader in a major democracy.
Around 3,000-5,000 adults were interviewed in India and 10 other countries for the survey. The sample size in the US was significantly larger, however, with around 45,000 people interviewed by Morning Consult.
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Besides gauging the popularity of the respective heads of government, the survey also estimates "country trajectory data", calculating whether locals think the nation is headed in the "right direction" or not.
In India, 70 percent of respondents believe the country is headed in the "right direction", while 30 percent believe that it is on the "wrong track" under Modi.
The confidence in Modi's leadership to steer the country in the right direction had hit an all-time low of 52 percent in May of last year, when nearly 48 percent of respondents had said that they felt the nation wasn't heading in the right direction.
The latest approval ratings for the Indian PM come ahead of state elections in five Indian states— Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.
Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is currently defending its incumbent status as the dominant political force in four of the five states.
Although the upcoming elections are for state legislatures, Modi's popularity is a major factor that is bound to affect voting patterns.
UK PM Boris Johnson - The Most Unpopular Global Leader
The Morning Consult survey hasn't returned particularly favourable results for Modi's British counterpart Boris Johnson.
Only 26 percent of the surveyed UK population approved of Johnson's leadership, with an overwhelming 69 percent of people not expressing confidence in the Tory PM's performance.
Johnson's net popularity, currently at -43 points, is at its lowest level since he assumed office in 2019.
The British PM is currently battling backlash from his own party backbenchers over claims that a series of COVID-breaking parties took place on Downing Street in 2020 and 2021, when England was under harsh anti-COVID restrictions.
Boris Johnson has been reiterating that he wasn't aware that the parties broke any COVID lockdown rules, noting that he thought the gatherings were "working meetings".
The last time Johnson's popularity hit a similar low was in September 2020, when 59 percent of respondents had disapproved of his job performance and only 35 percent had approved of him. At the time, the UK was experiencing an unprecedented surge in COVID infections.