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Public approval of the government has dropped to 50% as confidence in Sri Lanka’s economic outlook weakens sharply, according to the latest ‘Mood of the Nation’ poll conducted by Verité Research.
The July 2026 survey found that government approval had fallen from 65% in February, which marked a post-election high.
At the same time, perceptions of the country’s economic outlook deteriorated significantly. Only 41.63% of respondents said economic conditions were “getting better”, down from 64% in the previous survey, while those who believed conditions were “getting worse” increased to 40.29% from around 15%.
The proportion of respondents who disapproved of the way the Government was performing also more than doubled to 31.40%, from around 15% previously.
More than half of those surveyed, or 55.59%, rated current economic conditions as “poor”, while only 38% considered them “good” or “excellent”.
This represented a reversal from the previous survey, in which a majority of respondents had viewed the country’s economic conditions positively.
The Economic Confidence Index, which combines net ratings on the economic outlook and current economic conditions, also slipped back into negative territory at minus eight.
The index, which ranges from minus 100 to plus 100, had stood at minus 39 in mid-2024 before moving into positive territory after February 2025.
Verité Research said the questions in the ‘Mood of the Nation’ poll differed from those used in some other recent national surveys. While the Social Indicators Survey measured satisfaction with specific political figures and groups, the ‘Mood of the Nation’ poll focused on public approval of the Government as a whole.
The latest survey was conducted from July 11 to 30 among 2,013 Sri Lankan adults selected through a nationally representative, multi-stage randomised sample covering separate households.
The survey had a maximum sampling error margin of ±2.21% for the full sample at a 95% confidence level, although Verité Research noted that implementation-related factors could further affect the margin of error.
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Five persons have died and over 50 persons have been injured in a ultiple-bus collision on the Medawachchiya–Rambewa Road in Anuradhapura involving two Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) buses and a private bus.
The injured have been admitted to the Anuradhapura Hospital for treatment.
The accident occurred on the A9 Road in the Rambewa area after two SLTB buses collided head-on, before a private bus then crashed into the rear of one of the SLTB buses.
Continue Reading News CoPF calls for independent fuel pricing regulator Published
The Parliamentary Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) has called for an independent regulatory body to oversee fuel pricing and safeguard fair competition among petroleum suppliers.
The matter came up during a committee meeting chaired by MP Dr. Harsha de Silva yesterday at the Parliamentary complex, where members examined disparities in fuel procurement costs between the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and private distributors.
Officials pointed out that while the CPC meets part of the country’s fuel demand through its refinery, private operators depend entirely on imported refined petroleum products. The Committee was informed that the two groups face substantially different landing costs.
However, private distributors are required to base their retail prices on those announced by the CPC, raising questions about whether the existing arrangement places them at a competitive disadvantage, according to a Parliament Department of Communication statement.
Members stressed the need for an independent and transparent system to regulate pricing, taking into account procurement costs, taxation and distribution expenses, while ensuring equitable treatment of all market participants.
The Committee also called for replacing broad-based fuel subsidies with targeted relief for economically disadvantaged groups and public transport operators.
Other matters reviewed included proposed standards for imported vehicle tyres and revisions to the Aswesuma welfare scheme.
The meeting examined regulations issued under the Imports and Exports (Control) Act through Extraordinary Gazette No. 2508/27 of October 1, 2026, and Supplementary Estimate No. 07 of 2026.
Sri Lanka’s economic growth has slowed sharply while inflation, youth unemployment and poverty continue to put pressure on the public, former Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris said yesterday.
Addressing a media briefing, organised by the People’s United Opposition, in Colombo, Prof Peiris said economic growth had declined from 5.8% in the second quarter of 2025 to 4.2% in the second quarter of 2026.
He also claimed that the economy was now about 2% below the level recorded in 2008.
Prof. Peiris said inflation had risen from 6.3%, in June, to 8% by August, while food inflation had reached 8.5%. He warned that continued inflation would erode people’s savings and the value of their assets.
He said the value of the US dollar had risen from Rs. 293, in October 2024, to Rs. 337, increasing import costs and placing additional pressure on the repayment of foreign debt.
Prof Peiris said the economic contraction, inflation and foreign exchange difficulties had hampered job creation, while unemployment among educated youth had risen to 43%, which, he described, as the highest youth unemployment rate in Asia.
He also said that Sri Lanka had attracted no large-scale foreign investment over the past two years, citing what he said were concerns raised in a US State Department report over weak institutional coordination, frequently changing policies and tax policies.
Prof Peiris further criticised the Government over the pace of expenditure, claiming that only 28% of funds allocated in last year’s Budget had been spent by September.
He said only about 8% of the Rs. 500 billion allocated for people affected by the Ditwah disaster had been spent, arguing that institutional inefficiency, rather than a shortage of funds, was responsible.
Peiris also questioned the economic impact of the Government’s vehicle import policy, claiming that the reopening of vehicle imports had resulted in a significant outflow of foreign exchange.
He said Customs revenue from vehicle imports, which he put at Rs. 255.1 billion in 2025, had declined to about Rs. 200 billion by September this year and was likely to fall further.
Against this backdrop, Prof Peiris said the Government should use the Budget, scheduled to be presented on November 12, to introduce practical measures to address the country’s economic problems.
Former Ministers Dr Rajitha Senaratne, Patali Champila Ranawaka and Suren Raghavan also addressed the press
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