Decoding Sheinbaum’s Unprecedented Popularity

What Sheinbaum’s approval reveals about power, perception, and the changing political landscape in Mexico.

Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s president, is the second most popular head of state in the world. With a 73 percent approval rating, she trails just slightly behind India’s Narendra Modi, who holds 75 percent.

It is a striking figure by any standard, but particularly so in a country with entrenched inequality, sluggish economic growth, and endemic violence.

The question is not simply how Sheinbaum has achieved this level of public support but why it has even grown. The Mexican economy has hardly flourished under her leadership. Economic growth has hovered at a meager 0.4 percent, and projections suggest it will decline further. In recent months, employment generation has slowed to its weakest pace since the pandemic, and fixed investment as a share of GDP has fallen.

There are three reasons behind Sheinbaum’s popularity success.