Survey: PMX’s Approval Rating Rises to 55% But Majority of M’sians Believe Country is Headed in Wrong Direction

Malaysian opinion research firm Merdeka Center recently published its National Survey Highlights May 2025, which yielded several interesting results on the perception towards the direction of the country, issues and economy, as well as government ratings and leadership in Malaysia.

One key highlight of the survey is the approval rating of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, which has increased to 55%. Despite this, the study found that the majority of Malaysians believe that the country is currently heading in the wrong direction.

Anwar’s approval rating now stands at 55%

For the latest survey, conducted from 12 to 23 May 2025, 55% of respondents were satisfied with the Prime Minister’s performance, while 36% said they were not satisfied and 9% were neutral on the matter.

Historically, Merdeka Center found that Anwar’s approval rating was the highest at the start of his premiership in 2022 at 68%, while the lowest was 43% in June 2024.

As for the respondents’ view of the Federal Government’s overall performance, the latest survey found that 50% were satisfied compared to the 48% who were not satisfied.

A majority of Malaysians believe that the country is heading in the wrong direction

As for public sentiments on the direction of the country, a majority of respondents (50%) believed that the country is heading in the wrong direction, while 43% said that Malaysia is on the right path.

For the 50% who believed that Malaysia is heading in the wrong direction, a majority of them (53%) cited economic concerns, followed by poor and inefficient administration (8%), concerns over political instability (7%), weak leadership (6%) and racial issue (4%).

For those who cited economic concerns, 30% referenced the unfavourable economic condition in general, while 19% pointed to the high cost of living.

Top voter issues and concerns

When asked what the number one problem facing the people of this country today is, an overwhelming majority (73%) of respondents mentioned economic concerns, followed by racial issues (3%), and social and public safety (3%).

When asked to choose two current issues from the list below that are most important to them at present, the respondents chose:

• Inflation – 33%
• Enhancing economic growth – 13%
• Corruption – 7%
• Job opportunities – 7%
• Preservation of Malay rights/Fair treatment of all races – 7%

How the survey was conducted

The survey involved 1,208 respondents aged 18 and above who were interviewed via telephone (mobile lines) between 12 and 23 May 2025. Moreover, the survey respondents are from all states across Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.

Merdeka Center added that respondents were selected randomly, with a stratified sampling method along the lines of ethnicity, gender, age and states.

Furthermore, all of the constituencies (14 states and across 222 parliament constituencies) were surveyed, and the selection of the respondents is proportional with respect to the population in each parliament constituency.

Respondents were interviewed in their own language of preference, with the survey margin of error estimated at ±2.82%.

Here’s a breakdown of the respondents:

So, what do you guys think of the survey’s findings? Do share your thoughts with us in the comments!

Also read: “Cowardly & stupid” – Dr Akmal Saleh Slams M’sian Students Who Burned a Caricature of PMX During Sabah Rally