A bad approval rating will get everybody talking. But one poll is not the whole city, and one number doesn't tell us everything about what residents experience. Let's discuss the numbers without pretending they're a substitute for accountability.

A low score in an October poll is news—but understanding the polling source and other surveys matters.

A public official’s approval rating can become a headline in seconds. Understanding what that rating means takes longer. Local coverage of the October 2026 Rubrum evaluation assigned Puerto Vallarta mayor Luis Ernesto Munguía González a score of 2.01 out of 10, placing him near the bottom of that survey’s municipal ranking. It is a legitimate news development, but it is not the only measure of public opinion.

One poll is not the entire electorate

Rubrum’s October score should always be attributed to Rubrum. Other pollsters using different dates, questions, samples and methodologies have published different figures for the mayor. Those results cannot be treated as interchangeable measures.

What residents actually want to know

The useful questions are practical: Are roads maintained? Is trash collected? Are permits handled reliably? Are water problems addressed? Can small businesses get timely answers? A score may draw attention; daily services are where public trust is earned.

How to evaluate polling responsibly

Before sharing a ranking, check when people were surveyed, the sample design, the exact question and whether the number is a rating out of ten or an approval percentage. A 2.01/10 performance rating is not automatically the same statistic as 20.1% approval.

Our editorial standard

I AM Puerto Vallarta will distinguish documented survey results from opinion, and we welcome sourced responses from the municipality and residents. Scrutiny should be firm, factual and useful—not political theater.

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Sources and further reading

From the Editor

The job isn't to cheer or boo a number. The job is to keep asking whether public services are improving in ways residents can actually feel.

W. N. Walker
Editor in Chief, I AM Puerto Vallarta