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Merz, Macron, and Starmer ranked least popular world leaders – survey

RT News · · 358 words · By Russia Today
European Governance Crisis Political Unpopularity
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.rt.com/news/638372-merz-unpopular-world-leader/

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
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Name Calling / Labeling 70% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.
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Exaggeration / Hyperbole 60% confidence
Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

12 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 3
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help Insufficient Evidence 2
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“German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has become the world’s most unpopular leader, according to US-based opinion research institute Morning Consult.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources (RT World News, Israel Hayom, and a general web search result) report that Morning Consult identifies Friedrich Merz as the most unpopular leader, though there is a slight discrepancy in the exact percentage (21% support vs highest disapproval).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Frederick III (Friedrich Wilhelm Nikolaus Karl; 18 October 1831 – 15 June 1888), or Friedrich III, was German Emperor and King of Prussia for 99 days from 9 March 1888 until his death in June that yea…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_III,_German_Emperor
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The German National People's Party (German: Deutschnationale Volkspartei, DNVP) was a national-conservative and monarchist political party in Germany during the Weimar Republic. Before the rise of the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_National_People's_Party
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg (2 October 1847 – 2 August 1934) was a German military officer and statesman who led the Imperial German Army during World War I and later b…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_von_Hindenburg
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“The approval rating tracker, which covers 24 democracies around the globe, indicates that European nations have taken a solid lead in terms of least-popular leaders.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While Morning Consult's existence as a tracker is verified, the specific detail about '24 democracies' and 'European nations taking a solid lead in least-popular leaders' is not explicitly corroborated by the provided evidence snippets.
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web search NEUTRAL — PM Narendra Modi has once again topped the global rating amongst world leaders. (PTI). Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been ranked as the world’s most popular leader with an approval rating of 76 per…
https://www.news18.com/india/pm-modi-tops-list-of-most-popul…
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web search NEUTRAL — Morning Consult : -6.The poll also showed stronger support among respondents paying the least attention to the details, which suggests that when media attention increases, opposition could grow.
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/polls-show-trumps-ap…
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web search NEUTRAL — Follow our presidential approval rating poll tracker to see how favourably Americans view Mr Trump.His net approval rating—the share of people who think that he is doing a good job minus the share who…
https://www.economist.com/interactive/trump-approval-tracker
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“The survey is based on data collected in the first week of April.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided search results mention various Morning Consult surveys from 2021 and 2026, but none specifically confirm that the survey regarding Merz's unpopularity was collected in the first week of April.
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web search NEUTRAL — The data had been collected some weeks earlier (on April 26-28) in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, Spain, Germany and France, asking (by and large) the same questions …
https://theauthoritarians.org/the-april-2021-morning-consult…
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web search NEUTRAL — The Morning Consult poll was conducted between April 26 and 27 among 1,001 U.S. adults.A survey has found nearly half of QAnon supporters also believe the claims in "The Protocols of the Elders of Zio…
https://web.archive.org/web/20230731165723/https://www.newsw…
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web search NEUTRAL — The survey ranked Switzerland’s President Guy Parmelin and South Korea’s President Lee Jae-myung, both in the second position with approval ratings of 62 per cent each. The latest approval ratings are…
https://theindianeye.com/2026/03/25/morning-consult-survey-d…
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“Merz has recorded the highest disapproval rate at 76%, with only 19% of respondents satisfied with his performance.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The specific figures (76% disapproval, 19% approval) are reported by RT World News, but not independently corroborated by other sources in the provided evidence.
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web search NEUTRAL — Most recent Trump approval rating, according to the latest from The Economist (March 6, 2026)According to the latest survey 25% of voters surveyed strongly approve of Trump's job performance and 43% o…
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2026/03/10/donald-trump-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Germany’s new chancellor Friedrich Merz has a history, one that he does not like to highlight. His Opa or grandfather was a Nazi and it is this Nazi past that he is trying to keep extremely quiet abou…
https://countercurrents.org/2025/06/the-nazi-heritage-of-ger…
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web search NEUTRAL — Friedrich Merz - leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) - is set to become Germany's next Chancellor. His party is projected to win around 28% of the vote. The question now is who he might for…
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdxnzkyw7n1o
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“The findings correspond with a recent Forsa poll, which yielded similar results, with some 20% approval and 78% expressing dissatisfaction.”
CORROBORATED
Both RT World News and another web search result mention that a Forsa poll yielded similar results (approx 20% approval and 78% dissatisfaction).
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web search NEUTRAL — Joachim-Friedrich Martin Josef Merz (born 11 November 1955) is a German politician who has served as Chancellor of Germany since 6 May 2025.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Merz
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web search NEUTRAL — Merz has recorded the highest disapproval rate at 76%, with only 19% of respondents satisfied with his performance. The findings correspond with a recent Forsa poll, which yielded similar results, wit…
https://www.rt.com/news/638372-merz-unpopular-world-leader/
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web search NEUTRAL — Friedrich Merz after his failure to secure a majority in the Bundestag in the first round of voting. Friedrich Merz has seen his popularity ratings drop from low to even lower Image: Michael Kappeler/…
https://www.dw.com/en/why-is-germanys-friedrich-merz-so-unpo…
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“In mid-2024, for instance, only some 28% of Germans were satisfied with Scholz’s performance.”
DISPUTED
The claim states 28% approval in mid-2024. However, Wikipedia evidence cites an Infratest dimap poll from September 2024 stating Scholz's approval was 18%, which contradicts the 28% figure.
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web search NEUTRAL — Olaf Scholz is a German politician who served as the chancellor of Germany from 2021 to 2025.In September 2024, pollster Infratest dimap found that Scholz's approval rating was 18%, one of the lowest …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olaf_Scholz
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web search NEUTRAL — Olaf Scholz (2nd L) relaxing with SPD colleagues in 2018. Mr Scholz, who is married to fellow SPD politician Britta Ernst, grew up in Hamburg and entered politics as a Socialist Youth leader, having s…
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53735728
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web search NEUTRAL — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has lost a vote of confidence in the German parliament. It is the outcome Scholz had hoped for when he called for the confidence vote last week, analysts say. His aim: to…
https://www.npr.org/2024/12/16/g-s1-38426/germany-scholz-con…
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“Merz acknowledged last year that the country’s economy ended up in a “structural crisis.””
VERIFIED
RT World News and BB.LV both report that Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated the German economy is experiencing a 'structural crisis'.
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web search NEUTRAL — Joachim-Friedrich Martin Josef Merz (born 11 November 1955) is a German politician who has served as Chancellor of Germany since 6 May 2025.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Merz
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web search NEUTRAL — The German economy is experiencing a “structural crisis” rather than just temporary “weakness,” Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said, admitting that steering the country’s economy back on track has prov…
https://www.rt.com/news/623458-german-economy-structural-cri…
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web search NEUTRAL — Germany's economy has lost 940 billion euros since 2020 due to crises.Previously, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that Europe is experiencing a period of great uncertainty and must become more…
https://en.bb.lv/article/business/2026/02/07/the-losses-of-t…
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“The German chancellor is effectively tied with French President Emmanuel Macron, who enjoys an approval rate of only 18% and disapproval of 75%, according to the survey.”
CORROBORATED
ZeroHedge reports Macron has 18% approval and 74% disapproval, which closely aligns with the claim's 18% and 75% figures.
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web search NEUTRAL — Even worse off is French President Emmanuel Macron, posting one of the lowest ratings at 18% approval and 74% disapproval. This is likely tied to ongoing labor unrest and unpopular pension reforms.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/indias-modi-has-highe…
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web search NEUTRAL — Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, has a 91% approval rating according to surveys from WCIOM and Gallup, placing him outside the ranking of Morning Consult, which focuses on established democ…
https://en.cibercuba.com/noticias/2025-06-24-u1-e135253-s270…
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web search NEUTRAL — French journalists were working on a story about Brigitte Macron possibly being born a male before they were visited by the secret service. Why is that?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXGUHYVUZZk
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“France has been locked in a deep political crisis since at least mid-2024, when Macron dissolved the National Assembly after his party suffered a crushing defeat in the European Parliament elections.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results to confirm the dissolution of the National Assembly in mid-2024.
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“Third place is held by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with some 27% approving of his performance and 65% unsatisfied.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was provided in the search results regarding Keir Starmer's specific approval/dissatisfaction ratings in this survey.
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“Starmer has had the lowest approval rating of any prime minister in history save for Liz Truss”
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“his disastrous appointment of Epstein-linked Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US.”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.