LOS ANGELES, Oct. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- Despite giving Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger high job approval ratings, voters in the most populous US state of California do not favor him running for US President, according to a poll released Friday.

   The nonpartisan Field Poll found that 65 percent of votersapprove of Schwarzenegger's job performance, a level that has not changed since May. Still, about two-thirds of voters said they do not support the Austrian native and former Hollywood star to become US President.

   Fifty-eight percent of Californian voters even said they do not support changing the US Constitution to allow foreign-born Americans who have lived in the United States more than 20 yearsto run for president. Just 36 percent of voters in Schwarzenegger's home state supported the idea.

   If the constitution is changed and Schwarzenegger runs forpresident, 50 percent of Californian voters said they are not inclined to vote for him while 26 percent said they were.

   Mark DiCamillo, poll director, said voters may just want to see how Schwarzenegger performs over a longer period of time. "Voters want to see a little more of him, he's only been in office a year," said DiCamillo.

   Schwarzenegger took office late last year after he defeated former Governor Gray Davis, which was recalled in the October elections.

   Californian voters are optimistic about the direction of the state for the first time since 2000. About 46 percent voters said the state is headed in the right direction, while 38 percent still feel it being on the wrong track.

   The poll, taken among 600 registered voters during the six-dayperiod ending on Sept. 29, found Schwarzenegger has support among all types of voters: 46 percent of Democrats approved of the job he is doing, with 88 percent of Republicans and 64 percent of nonpartisan voters.

   Almost a quarter of voters said the quality they like most about Schwarzenegger is decisive and strong leadership; 17 percent mentioned his efforts to control state spending; and 10 percent said they like him because "he's for the people."

   The Field Poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.  Enditem