For all his party's weakness, the prime minister's personal approval rating has so far stayed well ahead of Mr Papandreou's.

ECONOMIST: Greece's riots

And Reagan's personal approval rating was sufficiently intact that he was able to hand over the office to his vice president.

CNN: Obama's second-term curse? Not so fast

The prime minister's personal approval rating has stayed ahead of Mr Papandreou's, but if civil disorder continues for much longer that will probably slide too.

ECONOMIST: Riots in Greece: Anarchy in Athens | The

Although the president's personal approval rating is still running comfortably over 50%, support for her cabinet has plummeted: 74% of Chileans think there should be a reshuffle, according to one recent poll.

ECONOMIST: Chile

Participants were asked to evaluate six applications per session, rating applications on personal, business, management, and financial risk before granting or denying the loan.

FORBES: The Problem With Incentives

According to staffing firm Hudson, IT workers were also less optimistic in August about their personal finances, with just 47% rating them as excellent or good, down from 62%.

FORBES: Ten Must-Read Tech Stories

The effects of a downgraded credit rating for the government are similar to a lower personal credit score.

FORBES: How The Debt Ceiling Talks Affect All Americans

By rating songs on the service, customers can create a number of personal channels based on a desired music genres, moods or specific themes.

FORBES: Magazine Article

But while the public takes issue with Obama in certain arenas, two-thirds continue to believe that he has the leadership skills and personal characteristics a president should have, which may explain why his overall approval is higher than his rating on the issues of public concern.

CNN: Americans split on Obama's first year, poll finds