WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama’s approval rating has been hammered by mounting doubts over his economic stewardship. It now stands second lowest, for this point in a presidency, to Jimmy Carter, who won one White House term, but is not far behind Ronald Reagan, who was reelected.

The following compares the Gallup approval ratings of the last six U.S. presidents in late August of their third years in the White House, together with the unemployment and U.S. GDP growth rates at that time.

OBAMA: Approval rating 42 pct (Aug 29-Sept 4). Unemployment 9.1 percent in August. Growth was 3 percent in 2010, but slowed at the start of this year, notching a 1 percent annual rate in the second quarter.

GEORGE W. BUSH: Approval rating 52 percent (Aug 25-26, 2003), when the unemployment rate was 6.1 percent. Unemployment had improved to 5.4 percent by the time of the election the next year, which Bush won. Growth was 2.5 percent in 2003 and 3.5 percent in 2004.

CLINTON: Approval rating 46 percent (August 28-30, 1995), a month in which the unemployment rate was 5.7 percent. Unemployment had improved slightly to 5.4 percent by the time of the November election in 1996, which Clinton won. U.S. growth was 2.5 percent in 1995 and 3.7 percent in 1996.

GEORGE H.W. BUSH: Approval rating 69 pct (Aug 29-Sept 3, 1991). Unemployment in August was 6.9 percent but had deteriorated to stand at 7.4 percent by the November 1992 election. This was beneath a 7.8 percent peak touched in June that year, but Bush was still defeated by Clinton. U.S. output shrank 0.2 percent in 1991 but increased 3.4 percent in 1992.

REAGAN: Approval rating 43 percent (August 19-22 1983), a month in which the U.S. unemployment rate was 9.5 percent. But it had declined to 7.2 percent by the November 1984 election, which Reagan won. Growth was rocketing over this period, with output increasing 7.2 percent in 1984, up from 4.5 percent in 1983.

CARTER: Approval rating 30 percent (Aug 17-20, 1979), a month in which U.S. unemployment was 6.0 percent. It had risen to 7.5 pct by the November 1980 general election, which he lost to Republican Ronald Reagan. U.S. growth increased by 3.1 percent in 1979, but shrank 0.3 percent in 1980.

(Reporting by Alister Bull)