Mitofsky's End-of-Year Polls

Calderón slipped to a 55 percent approval rating --the lowest level of his presidency-- in the December poll, down three points from November. (More here on Calderón's declining poll numbers.)

On the economy, however, there does seem to be a slight trend away from pessimistic perceptions. Around three quarters expected next year's economic situation to be worse than the present year's, which may not reflect a nation of pollyannas, but is a four point improvement since October. Likewise, 86 percent of the population say that this year is worse than last year, but that's two points fewer than the number saying it in October. More for the first time since this summer, the proportion of respondents saying that economic concerns are the most pressing (compared to security) also dropped. The number of Mexicans saying that country is on the wrong track also ticked down by more than a point this month. These are small numbers that shouldn't be interpreted as a sea change in national confidence, but it's something to keep an eye on nonetheless.