KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s approval rating has fallen to 48 per cent, according to a survey by independent pollster Merdeka Center this month.

His current rating is down seven percentage points from 54 per cent back in August. It previously peaked at 72 per cent in May 2010.

In a report released today, Merdeka Center suggested that the reduction in approval rating was likely linked to the recent fuel subsidy cut, which saw fuel pump prices for RON95 petrol and diesel increasing by 20 sen from October.

Despite the overall decline, the survey showed an increase in the proportion of ethnic Chinese respondents who felt positively towards Najib and his administration, while all other ethnic groups — including the Malays — registered declines.

Ethnic Chinese who approved of Najib rose from 22 per cent to 27 per cent, while those who felt that Malaysia was “headed in the right direction” increased from 14 per cent to 20 per cent.

In comparison, nearly half of the total respondents, at 49 per cent, felt that Malaysia was “headed in the wrong direction” versus the 41 per cent who felt otherwise.

“The negative sentiments were largely driven by concerns over cost of living increases, the general condition of the economy as well as worries over (the) stoking of racial sentiments and public service delivery,” said a statement that accompanied the report.

“Those who felt the country was on positive track based their views on the prevailing sense of peace and security, visible economic and infrastructure development and continued welfare assistance from the government.”

Public satisfaction with the government also fell, with 38 per cent of respondents saying they were “happy” with the government this time around, compared to 41 per cent back in August.

“Again, we attribute this to public dissatisfaction as likely arising from concerns over cost of living increases due to fuel price increases as well as depressed commodity prices in rural areas of the country,” the Merdeka Center said.

The survey also found a spike in the distress over economy among respondents, with those concerned rising to 71 per cent from 54 per cent since the previous survey.

This worry over the economy arose despite the mitigating measures announced by Najib during Budget 2015 on October 10, it said.

At 48 per cent, Najib’s rating is as low as the period after the disaster involving Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, but not at the zenith of 42 per cent at the start of the year when several price hikes led to a public rally during the New Year’s Eve celebration in the capital.

The survey was conducted over telephone between October 11 and 26 this year, involving 1,005 registered voters aged 21 and above from all states in Peninsular Malaysia.