The Most Beloved Mayor in Italy? The 2024 Ranking of Approval Ratings Among Mayors

The Most Beloved Mayor in Italy: Michele Guerra

Italian mayors and regional presidents are becoming increasingly famous, often surpassing the popularity of national political leaders.
The annual Governance Poll, conducted by Sole 24 Ore and Noto, measures the approval ratings of mayors in provincial capital cities across Italy.

The latest Governance Poll 2024 shows Michele Guerra, the center-left mayor of Parma, leading the rankings with an impressive 63% approval rating.
Following closely are Gaetano Manfredi (62%), mayor of Naples, and Michele de Pascale (61%), who has transitioned from being the mayor of Ravenna to leading the Democratic Party in the upcoming Emilia-Romagna regional elections.

On the flip side, the least popular mayor in Italy appears to be Giacomo Tranchida (42%) of Trapani, leading a center-left coalition.
Roberto Gualtieri has also seen a significant decrease from 60% to 45%, ranking second to last.

Overall, Italian mayors enjoy high levels of approval, highlighting the local administrators’ ability to garner more appreciation compared to national or regional government officials.

Top 10 Most Approved Mayors in Italy

According to the Governance Poll 2024 by Sole 24 Ore and Noto, the top ten mayors in Italy based on approval ratings are:

1.
Michele Guerra (Parma) – 63%
2.
Gaetano Manfredi (Naples) – 62%
3.
Michele de Pascale (Ravenna) – 61%
4.
Luigi Brugnaro (Venice) – 60%
5.
Mario Conte (Treviso) – 60%
6.
Alessandro Canelli (Novara) – 60%
7.
Mattia Palazzi (Mantua) – 60%
8.
Matilde Celentano (Latina) – 60%
9.
Claudio Scajola (Imperia) – 60%
10.
Giuseppe Cassì (Ragusa) – 60%

Federico Basile from Messina, affiliated with the center-left, has shown the most improvement over the past year, increasing his approval rating by 6.5% from 45.5% to 52%.
Notable shifts include Gaetano Manfredi’s second-place position and Roberto Gualtieri’s decline, with Beppe Sala ranking 19th at 57% approval.
Stefano Lo Russo, the mayor of Turin, experienced a significant drop to 51.5%, ranking 57th with a 7.7% decrease compared to the previous year.