Paris, Sep 24 (IANS): Growth stagnation and high unemployment has led the approval rating of French President Francois Hollande to hit a new record low in September, just four months after he took office, according to a new opinion poll.

According to the poll for the weekly Le Journal du Dimanche, Hollande's positive rating was only 43 percent, down from 54 percent in August, Xinhua reported.

Frederic Dabi, director of the opinion division at Ifop institute, said it was "the sharpest decline in popularity".

In a recent joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Germany, the French president had said: "I ask to be judged on results and these will take time. My duty is to ensure that by the end of my mandate, France is in a better state than it was at the beginning."

Elected to be the first Socialist president in 17 years with nearly 52 percent of the vote, Hollande pledged to revive the economy and provide jobs to millions of people.

The poll questioned 1,869 respondents Sep 13-21.