---
title: "Declining Ratings for Mexico’s Peña Nieto"
description: "Three years after being elected president, Mexico's Enrique Peña Nieto is increasingly unpopular, and his ratings on specific issues, such as education, corruption and fighting drugs and crime, have dropped sharply."
date: "2015-08-27"
authors:
  - name: "Danielle Cuddington"
    job_title: "Former Research Associate"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/danielle-cuddington/"
  - name: "Richard Wike"
    job_title: "Director, Global Attitudes Research"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/richard-wike/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2015/08/27/declining-ratings-for-mexicos-pena-nieto/"
categories:
  - "Economic Conditions"
  - "Leaders"
  - "National Conditions"
datasets:
  - name: "Spring 2015 Survey Data"
    url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/dataset/spring-2015-survey-data/"
---

# Declining Ratings for Mexico’s Peña Nieto

## Table of Contents
1. [Declining Ratings for Mexico’s Peña Nieto](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2015/08/27/declining-ratings-for-mexicos-pena-nieto/markdown)
   - [A Downbeat National Mood](#a-downbeat-national-mood)
   - [Top Concerns: Rising Prices, Crime, Unemployment, Corruption and Violence](#top-concerns-rising-prices-crime-unemployment-corruption-and-violence)
   - [Increasingly Negative Views of Peña Nieto](#increasingly-negative-views-of-pena-nieto)
   - [Mexico’s Political Parties](#mexicos-political-parties)
   - [Ratings of Mexico’s Military and Police Drop](#ratings-of-mexicos-military-and-police-drop)
   - [Drug Trafficking and Cartels](#drug-trafficking-and-cartels)
2. [Methodology](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2015/08/27/methodology-9/markdown)

[![President Peña Nieto Seen Less Favorably](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2015/08/Lede-Graphic.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2015/08/27/declining-ratings-for-mexicos-pena-nieto/lede-graphic/)

Three years after being elected president, Mexico’s Enrique Peña Nieto is increasingly unpopular. Following a year plagued by scandal and controversy, his ratings have fallen, and Mexicans have grown disappointed with key elements of his ambitious agenda.

[tweetable url="http://pewrsr.ch/Mexico2015" alt="44% of the Mexican public expresses a favorable view of President Peña Nieto, down from 51% in 2014"]

Moreover, his ratings on specific issues have dropped sharply. Last year, 55% approved of how Peña Nieto was handling education. Education reform is a cornerstone of his presidency that has met with intense opposition from the country’s powerful teachers unions. However, this year just 43% give him a favorable review on this issue.

Only 35% of Mexicans now think Peña Nieto is doing a good job of managing the country’s ongoing battle against organized crime and drug gangs, compared with 53% in 2014. Just 39% say the government is making progress against drug traffickers, down from 45% a year ago (and the survey was conducted *before* the [prison escape](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-33498573) of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, leader of the Sinaloa cartel, in July).

Just 34% of Mexicans say their economy is in good shape – a decline of 6 percentage points since last year. And here again, Peña Nieto gets poor marks, with just 30% approving of how he is dealing with the economy, compared with an already low 37% in 2014.

And while Peña Nieto has tried to advance new [anti-corruption measures](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/after-months-of-scandals-new-rules-in-mexico-to-tackle-corruption/2015/04/25/cd657262-45c8-4170-8cba-a347ca9bda2a_story.html) in recent months, his administration has also been shaken by scandals over the course of the past year, including allegations of impropriety surrounding a real estate deal involving his wife and a major government contractor. Just 27% now approve of how the president is dealing with corruption, down 15 points from a year ago.

Ratings for Peña Nieto’s Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) have also declined (from 47% favorable in 2014 to 38% now). However, the PRI remains more popular than two of its biggest rivals. The conservative National Action Party (PAN) is viewed positively by just 29%, while the left-wing Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) gets even lower marks (23% favorable).

The Mexican military, which is heavily involved in the country’s fight against drug cartels, receives mostly positive reviews, though its image has also declined over the past year. In 2014, 75% said the military was having a good influence on the nation; today, 61% hold this view. Meanwhile, ratings for the already unpopular police have slipped even further (34% good influence in 2014, 27% now).

These are among the key findings from the latest survey in Mexico by the Pew Research Center, which is based on face-to-face interviews conducted from April 7 to 19, 2015, among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 randomly selected adults from across the country.[1. The survey was conducted prior to midterm elections, which were held on June 7, 2015.]

### A Downbeat National Mood

[![Dissatisfaction with Mexico’s Direction Continues](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2015/08/Mexico-Report-09.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2015/08/27/declining-ratings-for-mexicos-pena-nieto/mexico-report-09/)

[tweetable url="http://pewrsr.ch/Mexico2015" alt="72% of Mexicans say they are dissatisfied with the way things are going in their country"]

[![Degree of Disenchantment Varies across Mexico](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2015/08/Mexico-Report-08.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2015/08/27/declining-ratings-for-mexicos-pena-nieto/mexico-report-08/)

While a strong majority in Mexico is sour on the country’s direction, some are more dissatisfied than others. Women are somewhat more likely to voice negativity than their male counterparts. Roughly three-in-four women (76%) are dissatisfied with the way things are going, a share 9 percentage points higher than that of men (67%).

And Mexicans who identify with the right-of-center PAN (77% dissatisfied) are more pessimistic about the state of things in the country than supporters of Peña Nieto’s PRI (58%). Although majorities in all regions of the country are dissatisfied, those in the Greater Mexico City area (81%) are the most pessimistic.[2. The Greater Mexico City area includes Mexico State and the federal district of Mexico City. While this region includes some locations outside of the Mexico City metropolitan area, the vast majority of interviews conducted in the region are within the metropolitan area.]

[tweetable url="http://pewrsr.ch/Mexico2015" alt="Only 34% believe that Mexico’s economy is good, while 66% say it is bad"]

When it comes to their children’s future, Mexicans are divided. Nearly equal portions say the next generation, when they grow up, will be better off financially than their parents (41%) as say they will be worse off (43%). Roughly one-in-ten (12%) say their financial situation will be the same. (For more on economic views in Mexico and around the world, see [*Global Publics: Economic Conditions Are Bad*](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2015/07/23/global-publics-economic-conditions-are-bad/), July 23, 2015.)

### Top Concerns: Rising Prices, Crime, Unemployment, Corruption and Violence

[![Rising Prices Are Top National Issue](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2015/08/Mexico-Report-07.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2015/08/27/declining-ratings-for-mexicos-pena-nieto/mexico-report-07/)

[tweetable url="http://pewrsr.ch/Mexico2015" alt="Inflation is the top concern in Mexico, with 76% saying it’s a very big problem"]

Seven-in-ten or more also name crime, unemployment, corrupt political leaders, drug cartel-related violence and corrupt police officers as very big issues.

Half or more say poor-quality schools, health care and people leaving Mexico for jobs in other countries are very big concerns.

However, less than half name the gap between rich and poor, immigrants traveling through Mexico from Central America to the U.S., or traffic as top worries.

### Increasingly Negative Views of Peña Nieto

[![Downward Trend in Peña Nieto Favorability](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2015/08/Mexico-Report-06.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2015/08/27/declining-ratings-for-mexicos-pena-nieto/mexico-report-06/)

President Peña Nieto’s popularity has declined over the past year. Just 44% express a favorable opinion of him, down 7 percentage points since 2014 and down 12 points from a spring 2012 poll conducted just months before he was elected president.

Peña Nieto is also less popular in his third year as president than his predecessor was in the final months of his administration. In 2011, 55% had a positive opinion of former President Felipe Calderón.

Within his own party, however, Peña Nieto is well liked. Roughly eight-in-ten supporters of the PRI (78%) view him favorably.

Those who view Peña Nieto more unfavorably tend to be better educated and wealthier (both 62%). And people who live in the Greater Mexico City area (72%) are also more negative in their views of the president than those in other regions.

[![Peña Nieto Lacks Mexicans’ Approval on National Issues](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2015/08/Mexico-Report-05.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2015/08/27/declining-ratings-for-mexicos-pena-nieto/mexico-report-05/)

Peña Nieto gets poor marks for the way he has handled specific issues, including some major planks of his reform agenda.

Roughly two-thirds disapprove of how he is dealing with corruption and the economy. A similar proportion give him poor marks on energy reform, where he has called for [increased foreign investment](http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/02/11/world/americas/ap-lt-mexico-oil-woes.html) in Mexico’s oil and natural gas industries.

[tweetable url="http://pewrsr.ch/Mexico2015" alt="63% of Mexicans disapprove of Peña Nieto’s police reform; but 54% support putting local police under federal control"]

A 63% majority disapproves of the way Peña Nieto has pursued the fight against organized crime and drug trafficking in Mexico, while over half disapprove of his handling of relations with the U.S. and the issue of education.

### Mexico’s Political Parties

[![Mostly Negative Ratings for PRD, PAN and PRI](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2015/08/Mexico-Report-04.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2015/08/27/declining-ratings-for-mexicos-pena-nieto/mexico-report-04/)

Three of Mexico’s major political parties tested on the survey receive majority-negative ratings from the public. Peña Nieto’s PRI gets the highest marks, with a favorability rating of 38%. Still, a 56% majority expresses a negative view of the party, up from 47% last year.

Meanwhile, the right-of-center PAN (63% unfavorable) and social-democratic PRD (68%) are even more unpopular.

### Ratings of Mexico’s Military and Police Drop

[![Military Takes Top Spot as Positive Influence; Police Come in Last](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2015/08/Mexico-Report-03.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2015/08/27/declining-ratings-for-mexicos-pena-nieto/mexico-report-03/)

Mexico’s military continues to be highly rated, with about six-in-ten (61%) saying the military has a positive impact on the way things are going in the country.

Roughly half or more list the media, national government and religious leaders as positive influences in Mexico, mostly unchanged from a year ago.

Rounding out the bottom of the list, only about one-third or fewer name the court system, Congress and police as good influences. Views of the court system and Congress remain relatively unchanged since last year.

[![Military, Police Ratings Reach Lowest Point](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2015/08/Mexico-Report-02.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2015/08/27/declining-ratings-for-mexicos-pena-nieto/mexico-report-02/)

[tweetable url="http://pewrsr.ch/Mexico2015" alt="Positive views of the Mexican military are down 14 points since 2014"]

These declines have taken place during a year in which several high-profile instances of corruption among police and human rights abuses by the military have been brought to light. In late September 2014, for instance, [43 students disappeared in Iguala, Guerrero](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-29963387). Local police were found to have been involved with members of the Guerreros Unidos drug gang in the students’ disappearance and eventual mass murder.

[In October](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/22/world/americas/mexican-military-executed-at-least-12-federal-panel-says.html?_r=1), Mexico’s federal Human Rights Commission released their findings from an investigation into the June 2014 execution of at least 12 people carried out by Mexican soldiers. The incident is considered one of the worst violations of human rights the country has seen.

### Drug Trafficking and Cartels

[![Mexicans Believe Government Progress Against Drug Trafficking Is Declining ](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2015/08/Mexico-Report-01.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2015/08/27/declining-ratings-for-mexicos-pena-nieto/mexico-report-01/)

[tweetable url="http://pewrsr.ch/Mexico2015" alt="39% of Mexicans believe the gov't is making progress against drug traffickers, down 6 points since last year"]

In [mid-February 2014](http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-26308203), Mexican officials, working with U.S. anti-drug forces, captured the notorious Sinaloa cartel leader known as “El Chapo.” The boost in the share of Mexicans saying in the spring 2014 survey that their government was making progress against drug traffickers came shortly after his capture. However, this view of progress made by the campaign faded over the course of the year to present levels, even before El Chapo’s second escape from prison in July.[3. The spring 2015 survey was conducted before El Chapo’s escape in July.]

---

**Next:** [Methodology](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2015/08/27/methodology-9.md)