Public trust in Italian political leaders 2024

As of May 2024, 76 percent of Italians trusted the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella. The former Prime Minister Mario Draghi collected the confidence of 55 percent of the citizens. The trust in the incumbent head of government and chairwoman of the Brothers of Italy party, Giorgia Meloni, stood at only 40 percent. Other party's leaders were below 35 percent of consent, including former PM Giuseppe Conte, whose public trust recorded significantly high figures during the COVID-19 medical emergency. 

Giuseppe Conte and the measures against COVID-19

On January 26, 2021, Giuseppe Conte resigned from the Prime Minister's office as a result of an escalation of political instability in the country. The trust in Conte among Italians has been increasing during the first wave of COVID-19 in the country starting from March 2020. In fact, at the end of April 2020, the Italian Prime Minister reached the largest approval rating. Conte was later succeeded by the former President of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, and, after the 2022 parliamentary elections, by Giorgia Meloni.

Politics in a pandemic

Particularly, Italian interviewees appreciated the government's response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during the first wave. On the other hand, during the COVID-19 emergency, the support of the EU intervention was considered weak. Data from March 2020 reveals that a large part of interviewees disliked the European Union's attitude towards Italy.