Report
Abe's Approval Down Another Notch, Disapproval at Record 40%
posted by Richard Katz on July 23, 2014
Report Cover
Headline
The main reason is loss of faith that Abenomics will improve the daily lives of ordinary people and disapproval of Abe’s switch in priorities from economic revival to security matters
Abstract
Abe’s approval ratings fell another big notch in a late July Sankei poll
Disapproval rose to a record high of 40%
The gap between approval and disapproval shrank to a record low of 5%; it had been 60% in April 2013
Abe’s decision on collective self-defense catalyzed the new ratchet downward, but it continues—and perhaps accelerates—an ongoing erosion that began in May 2013
Every six months the gap between approval and disapproval has shrunk by about 10 points
The main reason is loss of faith that Abenomics will improve the daily lives of ordinary people and disapproval of Abe’s switch in priorities from economic revival to security matters
The more his approval ratings fall, the less clout he has to make economic reforms—even if he finally showed a sincere interest in them; at the same time, the less he moves to reform the economy, the more his approval ratings will keep falling