Dhaka, Aug. 19 -- A majority of Bangladeshi adults across all parts of the country and across even party lines approve of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's performance in his first six months (180 days) in office, but confidence in the government and the country's overall direction lags significantly behind, according to the results of an approval rating survey unveiled today.

The survey presented at a programme titled "Opinion Poll: First 6 Months of the Government" at the BIDA office in Agargaon, found that 66.3 percent of respondents approved of the Prime Minister's performance, against 21.6 percent who disapproved.

Approval of the government stood substantially lower though, at 54.5 percent.

Overall, less than half of respondents, ju...