Verité Research poll shows Sri Lanka turns more optimistic amidst strong government approval

15 February 2026 01:01 pm Views - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}} 15 Bookmark

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Colombo– Sri Lankans are expressing growing optimism about the country’s direction, with strong approval ratings for the government and a significant rise in economic confidence, according to the latest “Mood of the Nation” poll conducted by Verité Research. The polling partner for the survey was Vanguard Survey (Pvt) Ltd.

The government’s approval rating stood at 65% in early February 2026. With a ±3 percentage point margin of error, this marks a statistically stable increase from the 62% recorded a year earlier. The disapproval rating remained low and largely unchanged from February 2025.

For the first time in the poll’s four-year history, the share of respondents rating current economic conditions as “good” or “excellent” exceeded those describing them as “poor.”

Public perceptions of the economic outlook also improved notably. The proportion of respondents who said the economy was “getting better” rose to 64%, up from 55% a year ago. Meanwhile, those who felt the economy was “getting worse” remained largely unchanged. The percentage of respondents with no opinion declined, indicating that more people have formed clearer and increasingly positive views about the country’s economic direction.

These sentiments are aggregated into an Economic Confidence Index ranging from -100 to +100. The index registered +36 in the latest survey, a sharp improvement from +14 recorded a year earlier, and the highest level in the poll’s four-year history.

Additionally, 59% of respondents said they were satisfied with “the way things are going” in the country. This is the first time in four years of polling that overall satisfaction has exceeded the 50% mark.

When evaluating the present administration against past governments, respondents gave the highest positive ratings for efforts to reduce drugs and crime—ranking even above measures to reduce corruption.

The regularly conducted “Mood of the Nation” poll forms part of the Syndicated Surveys instrument of Verité Research, aimed at enriching its macro-political briefings. The instrument also allows other organisations to include survey questions to gauge public sentiment. Further details of the findings are available to clients.

The latest survey was based on a nationally representative, multi-stage, randomised sample of 1,048 Sri Lankan adults from separate households, conducted between 24 January and 03 February 2026. It was designed with a maximum sampling error margin of ±3.0 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. The margin of error may be further affected by potential lapses in implementation.