Mexico economy hurts Calderon's approval rating

MEXICO CITY, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Mexican President Felipe Calderon's approval rating slipped to 57 percent in reaction to deteriorating economic conditions, according to a newspaper poll published on Monday.

Calderon saw his rating in the El Universal newspaper survey slip 3 percentage points, from 60 percent in August. Eighty-seven percent of the 1,000 people surveyed thought Mexico's economy is in crisis or faces serious trouble.

More than half of the interviewees said Calderon, a conservative who took office in late 2006, has no, or very little, ability to pull the country out of a slump.

Mexico's economy has been hit by the global credit crisis and the downturn in the United States, where it ships nearly 80 percent of all its exports. Mexico is expected to grow 2 percent this year and between 0.5 percent and 1.5 percent in 2009, according to the latest central bank forecast.

Nearly 60 percent of those interviewed by El Universal also said they doubted Finance Minister Agustin Carstens and Central Bank Gov. Guillermo Ortiz would be able to improve the economic conditions in Mexico.

The nationwide poll, carried between Nov. 9 to 12, had a margin or error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. (Reporting by Cyntia Barrera Diaz; Editing by Doina Chiacu)