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Argentine President Javier Milei is facing the highest disapproval ratings of his term, with multiple polls placing public rejection of his government between 61% and 65% as inflation rebounds, domestic activity slows and corruption allegations engulf his cabinet chief, Infobae and La Política Online reported.
The Atlas Intel-Bloomberg Latam Pulse survey for May, published on May 4, put disapproval at 63% against approval of 35.5%, the worst reading since Milei took office in December 2023. A separate poll by Zuban Córdoba conducted between April 25 and May 1, with 2,000 respondents, recorded 65% disapproval.
The deterioration has been sharpest among lower-income households, where the Atlas Intel survey found disapproval reached 82.4% among those earning less than ARS630,000 ($560) a month, La Política Online reported on May 7, citing the consultancy. Disapproval among women stood at 74.6%, with only 25.4% expressing a favourable view of the president.
Atlas Intel found 50.3% of respondents named corruption as the country's main problem, ahead of unemployment at 38.5%, inflation at 35.9% and the general economic situation at 32.6%. Some 51% considered there was a high risk of fraud or corruption schemes in the country, the consultancy said.
Inflation has rebounded sharply after a year of disinflation gains. Atlas Intel's inflation index fell from 68.2 in December 2024 to 22.1 in August 2025 but reversed course from September, reaching 31.7 in April 2026.
The Consumer Confidence Index in Argentina stood at -32, the lowest among countries surveyed by Atlas Intel, with the Current Situation sub-index at -48.6 and the Expectations sub-index at -19.5.
Some 27.1% of Argentines said their income was insufficient and they were taking on debt, while 26.6% said they could only just cover monthly expenses, the consultancy said.
Milei has acknowledged the slide. "The social discontent is logical, I didn't look the other way when the 3.4 [inflation reading] arrived and it bothered me too, but we're working to keep bringing inflation down," Milei said in a televised interview on May 7.
The president defended his record on jobs, claiming 130,000 positions had been created and rejecting suggestions that unemployment was rising. Milei said he did not govern based on his image, MendoVoz reported.
The so-called Adorni scandal, involving cabinet chief Manuel Adorni and unexplained growth in his personal assets over two years in government, has driven part of the slide. A Management & Fit poll cited by La Política Online showed Milei's approval fell 10 points after the Adorni case and the Libra cryptocurrency controversy broke.
Political analyst Facundo Londero, presenting Zuban Córdoba findings to FM 89.3, said 40% of those who voted for Milei in the 2023 ballotage now described themselves as disillusioned with the government.
"On the one hand, the material side: purchasing power, employment, the economic situation in general. And on the other, political issues that broke the homogeneous narrative the ruling party had," Londero said, according to FM 89.3.
A judge has suspended 80 articles of Milei's labour reform after a legal challenge by the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), Argentina's largest union federation.
Sectors tied to domestic consumption, including manufacturing, construction and retail, have continued to weaken even as energy, mining and oil-related industries grow, France 24 reported, with Argentine lawmakers debating responses to the deterioration in Congress.
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