Centrist leaders Starmer and Macron among world’s least popular amid rise of the Right, polls show

Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron are among the world's least popular leaders according to new polling, as right-wing populism gains momentum in Europe and beyond. An Ifop poll conducted for French media between Sept. 18-19 found President Macron's approval at 17 percent, a record low for his two-term presidency that began in 2017. The decline comes amid ongoing political turmoil in Paris as Macron contends with the National Rally led by Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen in Parliament and on the streets.

Meanwhile in Britain, an Opinium survey published this weekend put Starmer's net approval at minus 42 percent, matching a low-water mark for his predecessors after a string of political challenges. The poll showed that just over half of respondents think he should resign, including a substantial share of Labour voters. Specifically, 54 percent of UK adults said Starmer should step down, with 34 percent of Labour voters agreeing.

In a separate pan-European survey by YouGov, Starmer was identified as one of the least popular Western leaders, with Macron the only other figure viewed more unfavorably. The YouGov data also highlighted Macron's standing in France, showing a net favourability rating of minus 55 percent among French adults. The same YouGov dataset contrasted other leaders: Giorgia Meloni at minus 22 percent, Pedro Sánchez at minus 31 percent, and former U.S. President Donald Trump at minus 11 percent in the United States.

The polling snapshots come as centrists face renewed pressure from rising right-wing and nationalist movements across Europe and in allied democracies. Frédéric Dabi, director at Ifop, summarized the mood: “A majority of French people are resistant, lost and will not return.” The figures illustrate a broader global trend in which voters express growing dissatisfaction with established centrist governance, even as they remain wary of more radical alternatives.

In the United Kingdom, Opinium’s polling chief James Crouch said the numbers present a humbling picture for Starmer: “Unpopular for all but two months of his premiership, the PM's approval ratings are scraping historic lows, and looking passable only thanks to Liz Truss.” The data also align with other measures of public sentiment. A separate YouGov survey released earlier showed Starmer near the bottom of Western leaders in net favourability, while Macron remained among the least liked in Europe. In pan-European contexts, Macron’s standing was highlighted by a figure around minus 55 percent favourability in France, illustrating how both leaders are navigating heightened scrutiny at a critical political juncture.

Taken together, the results underscore the difficulties facing centrist leadership as parties on the Right push to redefine national trajectories amid economic strain, security concerns, and shifts in public appetite for disruption or reform. Analysts warn that while the polls signal vulnerability for Starmer and Macron, the broader political landscape remains unsettled, with voters in several major democracies recalibrating their expectations for governance in an era of rapid change.