RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's good economic performance during the international financial crisis and its positive image abroad have boosted Brazilian President Lula's approval ratings at home.

    Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's personal approval ratings jumped from 76.8 percent in September to 78.9 percent in November, while his disapproval ratings declined from 18.7 percent in September to 14.6 percent in November, according to a CNT/Sensus survey released on Monday.

    The approval ratings of president's administration also rose, from 65.4 percent in September to 70 percent in November, despite the massive blackout of Nov. 10, which affected 18 Brazilian states for several hours.

    These high approval ratings can also be attributed to Brazil's ongoing economic recovery and growth as well as to the positive economic outlook under Lula and his administration.

    Brazil's economy showed strong growth in the third quarter of 2009 and has become one of the leading forces in the global economic recovery, said the international rating agency Moody's Investors Service. Moody's also predicted that the country's gross domestic product would register a growth of 0.5 percent to 1 percent in 2009 and 4.5 percent in 2010.

    The citizens interviewed were also asked to compare President Lula's administration with that of his predecessor, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, who served as president from 1995 to 2002.

    A total of 76 percent of Brazilians considered the Lula administration better, while 10 percent preferred the Cardoso administration. Other 11.1 percent considered the two administrations equal.

    The CNT/Sensus survey was carried out between Nov. 16 and 20 among 2,000 Brazilians from 24 states, with an error margin of 3 percentage points.