The government’s approval rating stood at 65% in early February 2026. With a margin of error of ±3 percentage points, this figure remains statistically stable compared to the 62% recorded in February 2025. The disapproval rating also remained low and largely unchanged over the past year.
For the first time since the survey began four years ago, more respondents rated current economic conditions as “good” or “excellent” than those who described them as “poor.”
Perceptions of the country’s economic trajectory also improved. The percentage of respondents who believe the economy is “getting better” increased to 64%, up from 55% a year ago. The proportion who said the economy is “getting worse” remained largely unchanged, while the number of respondents expressing no opinion declined, indicating greater certainty and growing optimism about the country’s direction.
All economic sentiment indicators are combined into an Economic Confidence Index ranging from -100 to +100. The latest index registered +36, a sharp rise from +14 recorded in February 2025, marking the highest score in the survey’s four-year history.
In addition, 59% of respondents said they were satisfied with “the way things are going” in the country. This is the first time in four years that overall satisfaction has surpassed the 50% mark.
When comparing the current administration’s performance with previous governments, respondents gave the highest positive evaluation for efforts to reduce drugs and crime, ranking these measures even above initiatives aimed at reducing corruption.
The “Mood of the Nation” poll is part of the syndicated survey instrument of Verité Research, which contributes to its regular macro-political briefings. The platform also allows other organisations to include survey questions to assess public sentiment.
The latest survey was conducted between 24 January and 03 February 2026, based on a nationally representative, multi-stage random sample of 1,048 Sri Lankan adults from separate households. It was designed with a maximum sampling error margin of ±3.0 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
