A new nationwide survey by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has found that a majority of Ghanaians continue to approve of President John Dramani Mahama’s performance in office, although his approval rating has declined compared to the end of 2025.
The poll, conducted in May 2026 and released on June 10, showed that 58.9 percent of respondents approve of the President’s handling of his job, while 28.4 percent disapprove and 12.8 percent expressed no opinion.
The findings were based on responses from more than 1,000 people across all 16 regions of Ghana.
According to the IEA, public support for President Mahama remains strong despite a drop from the 68 percent approval rating recorded in December 2025.
“Public assessment of President John Mahama’s job performance is positive, with most respondents approving of the way he is handling his job. When asked whether they approve or disapprove, 58.9% of respondents say they approve, 28.4% say they disapprove, and 12.8% report having no opinion.
“The gap between approval and disapproval — over thirty percentage points — indicates that positive assessments of the President’s performance remain well ahead of critical ones,” IEA said in its report.
The think tank attributed the decline to growing public expectations that improvements in key economic indicators should translate more visibly into better living conditions.
The survey identified the economy as the principal reason behind the President’s positive ratings. Nearly three out of every four respondents who approved of his performance cited the government’s management of the economy as their main reason.
Road infrastructure emerged as the second most important factor, while energy and electricity ranked third.
“Thus, the data confirm that the government’s economic record is its most powerful source of public goodwill. Road infrastructure (16.0%) and energy and electricity (2.7%) rank as the second and third reasons for approval, respectively,” the report stated.
The IEA noted that the findings reflect public recognition of recent macroeconomic gains, including lower inflation, a stronger cedi, reduced interest rates and an improved fiscal outlook.
However, among respondents who disapproved of the President’s performance, the economy was also the leading concern, suggesting that many citizens are yet to experience the benefits of economic recovery in their daily lives.
Electricity supply issues and concerns about corruption were also cited as major reasons for dissatisfaction.
The survey found that 30.9 percent of disapprovers pointed to economic challenges, while 29.9 percent cited electricity supply concerns, particularly in the aftermath of temporary power disruptions experienced in May.
Corruption was identified by 19.1 percent of respondents who expressed dissatisfaction with the President’s performance.
“Disapprovers cited the economy, energy and electricity supply, and corruption as the main concerns. The findings suggest that Ghanaians are broadly supportive of the President’s leadership but are expectant that the progress recorded at the macro level will increasingly be felt in their daily lives,” the survey added.
Summarising its findings, the IEA said Ghanaians remain broadly supportive of President Mahama’s leadership but expect the gains recorded at the macroeconomic level to increasingly improve their everyday lives.
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