Francois Hollande's approval rating has hit new lows, shedding six percentage points in a month with only 15 percent of respondents now backing the beleaguered French president, a YouGov poll for the Huffington Post and TELE said Thursday. The finding is in line with other recent polls which have shown Hollande's standing with voters tumbling after a brief upturn at the end of the summer.
Asked how they judged Hollande's actions as president three percent of respondents said they had a very positive opinion and 12 percent said it was positive. Seventy-six percent said they had a rather negative or very negative opinion. Nine percent would not comment. The downturn follows the exposure of record unemployment, rising taxes and weak growth amid a growing nation-wide feeling of despondency due to job cuts and factory closures.
Respondents also put unemployment at the top of their concerns (36 percent), well ahead of taxes (13 percent) and immigration (nine percent). The poll was carried out online between November 8 and 12 and was based on a sample of 950 voters.