PM Anwar’s approval rating rises, but Malaysians still feel pinch from rising costs

More Malaysians approve of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and more also believe the country is heading in the right direction under his unity government, compared to a year ago, according to a study by an independent research firm.

It found that 39 per cent of respondents felt Malaysia was going in the right direction as of the end of November 2024, an improvement from the 36 per cent in November 2023.

“Sentiments show gradual improvement after a prolonged period of negativity, although negative sentiments remain oversized,” said the study by Merdeka Center, which published the results on Monday.

The study found that 53 per cent of Malaysians believe their country is going in the wrong direction after two years under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government, with almost half citing economic concerns.

This sentiment, however, is a slight improvement from Anwar’s one-year mark in November 2023, when Merdeka Center found that 54 per cent of respondents thought Malaysia was going in the wrong direction.

Meanwhile, Anwar’s approval rating at his two-year mark stands at 54 per cent, a four percentage point improvement from his rating after one year.

Merdeka Center polled 1,207 registered voters across the country between November 27 and December 10. The respondent mix was 52 per cent Malay, 29 per cent Chinese, 7 per cent Indian, 6 per cent Muslim bumiputra and 6 per cent non-Muslim bumiputra.