The IFOP-JDD poll, published in the weekly Journal du Dimanche newspaper, showed that 34 percent of respondents were satisfied with Sarkozy’s policies, marking a three-percent rise after three months of consecutive falls.
Sarkozy has sought to cultivate a more presidential image over the past year as he prepares for a tough battle for re-election in April against Socialist rival Francois Hollande, who is currently favored to win the election.
Over the past few months, as the euro zone debt crisis has lurched from one drama to the next, Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have cast themselves before their respective electorates as a dynamic crisis-fighting duo.
Respondents in the IFOP-JDD poll said they found Sarkozy credible in the role of an international leader. But a majority of 66 percent said they were unhappy with his performance on domestic political and social issues.
With France under pressure to cut its public deficit, the figure most closely associated with belt-tightening is not Sarkozy but Prime Minister Francois Fillon, whose popularity dropped 2 percentage points to 44 percent in the poll.
Hollande, who appealed to youth voters in a speech on Saturday to enthusiastic cheers and applause, remains a clear favorite to win the 2012 election. A poll on Wednesday showed 60 percent of French voters thought Sarkozy would not be reelected.
The incumbent has yet to make his candidacy official, but has been touring French factories, markets and small firms for months to drum up support for his campaign.
