French president Francois Hollande's approval rating fell to 54 per cent in August, continuing a steady decline since he came to office, according to a poll released today.
The declining ratings reflect the challenges Hollande faces in tackling high unemployment and a stagnant economy as he seeks to slash €33 billion from next year's budget to meet deficit targets, part of a drive to restore faith in the euro.
The poll, by Ifop for Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper, marked a slide from 61 per cent who were satisfied or very satisfied with Mr Hollande's performance in May, the month he became president, to 59 per cent in June and 56 per cent in July.
The popularity of prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault also declined, falling by 4 percentage points to 57 per cent in August, according to the survey. This compares with an approval rating of 65 per cent in his first two months in the job.
The poll was based on the views of 920 people aged 18 and over, interviewed by telephone on Thursday and yesterday.
A CSA-Les Echos poll this week found only 49 per cent of respondents had confidence in Mr Hollande's leadership, a fall of 5 points from last month.