Majority of the population feels economic conditions ‘getting better’
The government’s approval rating rose sharply after the election, from 24% in July 2024 to 62% in February 2025, when the latest round of the Gallup style ‘Mood of the Nation’ poll was conducted by Verité Research.
For the first time since the economic crisis, a majority of the population (55%) feels that economic conditions in Sri Lanka are “getting better.” However, 47% still feel that the economy, as a whole, is in a “poor condition.” This is down from the 71% who thought that way in July 2024.
Overall, from July 2024 to February 2025, the percentage of people who disapprove of the government declined from 60% to 16% (44 point reduction), and the percentage of people who think the economy is getting worse declined from 65% to 14% (51 point reduction).
- Government Rating | Approve 62% | Disapprove 16% |
In response to the question, “Do you approve or disapprove of the way the current government is working?” 62% said they “approve,” more than double the previous round’s 24%. Only 16% said they “disapprove,” in contrast to 60% who disapproved previously.
- Economic Outlook | “Getting Better” 55% | “Getting Worse” 14% |
In response to the question, “Do you think that the economic conditions in the country as a whole are getting better or getting worse?”, 55% said “getting better”, compared to 30% in July 2024. Only 14% said “getting worse”, a sharp drop from the previous 65%.
- State of the Economy | “Good” or “Excellent” 35% | “Poor” 47% |
When asked to rate the current economic conditions in the country as “excellent,” “good,” or “poor,” 35% rated them as either “good” or “excellent”, up from 28% in July 2024. Meanwhile, 47% said “poor”, a decline of 24 points from the 71% who said that previously.
Survey Implementation
This regularly conducted poll is part of the Syndicated Surveys instrument of Verité Research. The polling partner was Vanguard Survey (Pvt) Ltd. This instrument also allows other organisations to survey the sentiments of Sri Lankans.
The latest poll was based on a nationally representative multi-stage randomised sample of 1,050 Sri Lankan adults from separate households, and was carried out from 31 January to 5 February 2025. This survey was designed to have a maximum sampling error margin of ±3.0% at a 95% confidence level. Error margins can be further affected by lapses that could arise in the implementation process.
