Even bad leaders are getting high approval ratings

An interesting poll in Australia is highlighting how in times of crisis, people automatically back the Government, regardless of performance.

NZ has done relatively well with its Covid response, and we have seen polls showing Jacinda Ardern and the Government having 70% to 80% approve of the job they’re doing.

But you would expect that when the results have been bad, you would get a far worse result. Take Victoria.

They have had 771 die from Covid-19 compared to 53 in NSW and six in Queensland. Mismanaged has seen Covid-19 remerge and over 20,000 cases.

So you’d think Premier Daniel Andrews would have a miserable approval rating. But the latest poll found 70% approve and only 30% disapprove.

This shows how challenging the conditions are in New Zealand for the Opposition. The reality is that during a crisis, people back the Government so long as it is pro-active. Even 43% of Coalition voters back Andrews, despite almost 800 dead on his watch.