The study found that during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, government approval ratings increased globally, a phenomenon known as the "rally around the flag" effect. However, approval ratings dropped in countries where the number of infections continued to grow, particularly in those that did not implement strict policies to control the pandemic. The evidence suggests that loose pandemic policies are politically costly and that governments that prioritize health over short-term economic outcomes tend to have higher approval ratings. The study used a high-frequency dataset of government approval ratings for 35 countries. Keywords: Political Popularity, Political Economy, Crisis Management, Covid-19. JEL: D72; H12; F50.
