JAKARTA, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's popularity has fallen significantly, a poll showed on Thursday, mainly because of public dissatisfaction with his handling of the economy and corruption.
Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) said Yudhoyono's approval rating fell to 66 percent in August, from 85 percent in July 2009, when he won a second term largely on his promises to tackle widespread graft and boost growth in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.
"Public perception of how he handled the economy is rather bad," said Kuskridho Ambardi of the LSI, citing rising inflation and higher electricity prices.
Indonesia's economy has performed relatively well during the global financial crisis, and GDP growth is expected to reach 6 percent this year, but it still lags China and India.
Food prices have soared recently, partly because unseasonally heavy rains have affected production and distribution, and partly because demand tends to rise during the Ramadan fasting month and subsequent holiday.
The fight against corruption has faced considerable opposition from the political and business elite.
Yudhoyono's top reformer, former Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, eventually resigned after months of political attacks, prompting concerns about the president's commitment to fighting graft.
The LSI survey of 1,829 respondents also found that Yudhoyono's Democrat Party, which won the most votes in the 2009 general election, had the support of 27 percent of those polled, compared with 21 percent in April 2009 when the parliamentary election took place.
(Reporting by Olivia Rondonuwu; Editing by Sara Webb)
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