By The Pulseline News Desk
Sri Lanka’s government has seen a sharp decline in public approval, while confidence in the country’s economic recovery has weakened significantly, according to the latest “Mood of the Nation” poll by Verité Research.
The July 2026 survey found that 49.83% of respondents approved of the way the government was working, down from 65% in February. Meanwhile, 31.40% said they disapproved of the government’s performance.
The decline comes just months after the government recorded its strongest approval rating in the four-year history of the poll, highlighting a significant shift in public sentiment.
Economic optimism takes a hit
The deterioration in public confidence was even more pronounced when respondents were asked about the economy.
Only 41.63% said they believed the economy was “getting better”, compared with around 64% in February. At the same time, the share of respondents who felt the economy was “getting worse” surged to 40.29%, from around 15% in the previous survey.
The findings suggest that the broader economic recovery is no longer translating into the same level of public optimism seen earlier in the year.
More than half of those surveyed also gave a negative assessment of current economic conditions. 55.59% described the state of the economy as “poor”, while only 38% rated it as “good” or “excellent”.
Confidence index returns to negative territory
The shift in public sentiment is reflected in Verité Research’s Economic Confidence Index, which fell sharply to minus 8 in July.
The index had stood at +36 in February, when economic confidence reached its highest level since the poll was launched four years ago.
The index ranges from -100 to +100 and combines public perceptions of the current state of the economy with expectations about its future direction.
The move from positive to negative territory represents a substantial reversal in just five months and points to growing uncertainty among households about the pace and direction of the economic recovery.
A warning for the NPP government
The latest findings present a more challenging political environment for the National People’s Power (NPP) government and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, after a period in which public sentiment had been strongly favourable.
While the government continues to enjoy the approval of roughly half of those surveyed, the 15-percentage-point decline from February indicates that its political support is no longer at the level seen earlier this year.
More importantly, the simultaneous deterioration in economic perceptions could become a significant factor in shaping public attitudes towards the government.
The government has pointed to improvements in macroeconomic stability and the progress of the post-crisis recovery. However, the poll suggests that a growing proportion of the public remains unconvinced that those improvements are translating into better economic conditions in their daily lives.
The contrast between the February and July findings is therefore significant: government approval has fallen, optimism about the economy has weakened, and the Economic Confidence Index has returned to negative territory.
Verité Research said the Gallup-style “Mood of the Nation” poll was conducted in partnership with Vanguard Survey (Pvt) Ltd.
The July results provide a timely snapshot of public sentiment as the government moves deeper into its term, with economic performance likely to remain central to its ability to maintain public confidence and political momentum.
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