French President Francois Hollande's approval rating slipped to 37 percent in February as pessimism about the economy overtook satisfaction with his military intervention against Islamist rebels in Mali, a poll showed on Sunday, reports Reuters.
The IFOP survey published in weekly paper JDD showed that Hollande's backing had dropped by one percentage point since the previous month, giving him the same popularity rate as that of Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault.
Dissatisfaction with the Socialist president was strongest among small business owners, 73 percent of whom were unhappy; blue-collar workers, with 70 percent; and private sector workers, with 66 percent, the pollster said.
The findings show negative views on Hollande's economic policies overshadowing feelings that he displayed strong leadership last month in sending French troops to Mali to help its government push back an offensive by Islamist rebels.
Grim economic news has dogged him since the start of 2013 as factory closures kept up pace, unemployment hovered near 10 percent and the national auditor, La Cour des Comptes, published a report highlighting lax management of state funds.
Read more of this report from Reuters.