French President Emmanuel Macron arrives to attend a two-day EU Summit in Brussels, Belgium, June 22, 2017. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)

PARIS, July 23 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron suffered a sharp decline in his popularity in July from a month earlier as controversial labor reform and disputed defense budget cut tainted the French optimism, a survey showed on Sunday.

Ifop survey for the Le Journal de Dimanche newspaper showed 54 percent of respondents approved ruling way of the France's youngest president in modern history, down from 64 percent in June, a major drop in a new president's popularity since 1995.

After a short honeymoon at the Elysee Palace, the start of the 39-year-old president has been clouded by a dispute over labor code reform to make recruitment easier and a row over defense budget cut which forced the country's army forces chief general Pierre de Villiers to quit his post.

Ifop questioned 1,947 respondents on July 17-22.