The index of public confidence in national politics was measured at 92.36 last month, 3.04 points lower than in June and almost 6.50 points lower than in the same month last year.

The Dusit Poll survey of 9,193 people all over the country from July 20 to August 8 showed a drop in all but one of the 25 public-confidence indexes, including the prime minister's performance, the government's performance and national unity.

Three of the 25 indexes - on media news coverage, education management and the prime minister's performance - remained above 100 points, but still dropped from the previous month.

The index on the opposition's performance was the only one to show an increase from June, rising by 1.7 points to 97.8.

The index on product prices, at 75.82 points, was at the bottom of the table, amid rising prices of consumer products and commodities due to costlier oil.

Assoc Prof Dr Sukhum Chaloeysup, director of Dusit Poll, said the reason for the growth in the index of the opposition's performance was the Democrat Party's announcement of a new election campaign strategy and its projection its leader, Abhisit Vejjajiva, as the next prime minister.

He said the public was uncertain whether the October 15 general election would be postponed or not.

"The PM's job-approval rating continues to be [lower than in previous polls]. This may be a significant indicator for the Thai Rak Thai Party [that its popularity is waning] because surveys have shown that people vote for Thai Rak Thai because they like Thaksin, rather than the party's policies,'' he said. Although the Democrat Party enjoyed increased confidence, its total score still stood below the benchmark of 100 points, he pointed out.

"The party must come up with more clear-cut policies because the public would be drawn more by better policies than Abhisit's popularity,'' he said.