It would seem voters across Europe aren’t terribly impressed with their leaders!
I am not the biggest fan of politicians. They always seem to be looking after themselves, and very few feel connected to the everyday person. And, it seems I’m not alone in my thoughts.
A fresh YouGov tracker, which compares public opinion across several European countries, does little to change that impression. If anything, it simply confirms how detached many leaders feel from the voters they are meant to serve.
In the United Kingdom, the October 2025 survey shows that only 20% of people have a favourable opinion of Keir Starmer, while a striking 72% view him unfavourably. These figures are almost identical to those recorded in previous months, so there has been no major change in the national mood.
Across the Channel, the situation is even more dramatic. In France, Emmanuel Macron receives only 15% favourability, while 79% of the public take a negative view of him. The figures match those from the previous months, which means that the French public remains firmly unimpressed.
Germany offers a slightly more balanced picture, although not by much. Friedrich Merz is viewed favourably by 31% of Germans, while 65% hold an unfavourable opinion. The numbers sit comfortably within the margin of error of the previous month’s results, so any movement is minimal.
Europe’s brighter spot for voters
Italy stands out as one of the brighter spots in the tracker. Giorgia Meloni has the strongest support among the leaders included in the study, with 39% of Italians expressing a favourable view. Even so, 54% remain on the unfavourable side. Like the other countries, Italy shows little shift compared with previous months.
Spain follows a similar pattern. Pedro Sanchez receives 35% favourability, while 62% of Spaniards view him negatively. These figures are practically unchanged from previous months.
The biggest movement comes from Denmark. Mette Frederiksen is viewed favourably by 36% of Danes and unfavourably by 59%. This marks a noticeable fall in popularity from previous months. Support has dropped by several percentage points and the negative view rising at the same time.
Taken together, the findings paint a very clear picture. Across Europe, enthusiasm for political leaders is running low, and in some cases barely exists at all.
For many citizens, politics seems more like a source of frustration than inspiration. It makes me feel slightly better about my own lack of excitement. At least it appears that most of the continent feels exactly the same.
