Presidential activism and other determinants of presidential popularity in semi-presidential regimes

Presidents are usually more popular than other politicians and one of the most well-known political figures, whether they have strong constitutional powers or not. Yet the relationship between the president and the public is understudied in semi-presidential regimes and in Europe as a whole, and we know very little about the various determinants of presidential popularity. In contrast, there is a long tradition of studies focusing on public opinion on presidents especially in the US. Focusing on five European semi-presidential regimes, this paper provides a statistical analysis on the determinants of presidential popularity. The aim of this paper is to answer following questions: how has presidential popularity varied in European semi-presidential regimes between 2000 and 2020 and what are the main determinants of presidential popularity? In addition to various contextual factors, formal and/or informal presidential activism should be connected to presidential popularity, and more specifically, only the “visible” or “public” ways of activism should influence public opinion on presidents’ behavior. The period of analysis covers the first two decades and includes presidents from the Czech Republic, Finland, Poland, Portugal, and Romania.