Berlusconi popularity slips, Italy more upbeat - poll

ROME (Reuters) - Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's approval rating has slipped over the past month, but Italians are becoming less worried about unemployment and the economy, an opinion poll showed on Sunday.

The poll by ISPO published in Corriere della Sera newspaper showed a sympathy-driven jump in Berlusconi's popularity proved short-lived after a man threw a statuette at him at a rally in December, breaking his nose and teeth.

The latest survey, conducted at the end of January, showed his approval rating fell back to just over 48 percent, returning to levels seen in November after jumping to 56 percent in December following the attack.

However, the media tycoon leader's constantly upbeat message on the economy seems to be getting through to Italians, with the poll showing a steady increase in those expecting things to improve in the near future.

Berlusconi, 73, faces important regional elections in March, and recent polls give his conservative coalition a clear lead over the centre-left opposition.

Some 60 percent of respondents said they expect the state of the economy will get better "in the next few months," up from 52 percent in December and 47 percent in November.

The poll also showed a sharp drop in worries on unemployment even though official jobless figures continue to rise.

In September last year, the last time ISPO polled Italians on the labour market, 94 percent of respondents said they were worried about unemployment and 80 percent said they feared losing their own jobs.

The latest survey showed these percentages had fallen to 52 percent and 45 percent, respectively.

Official data showed unemployment rose to 8.5 percent in December, the highest since the current statistical series began in 2004.

Most analysts expect it to keep climbing even as the economy continues to recover gradually, after emerging in the third quarter of last year from its worst post-war recession.

Sentiment has also improved regarding family finances, with some 58 percent of Italians now saying they have difficulty putting any money aside, down from 67 percent in September, while those saying they are worried about not being able to obtain credit has fallen to 46 percent from 69 percent.