Merkel popularity hit by ski accident absence, shows poll

German Chancellor Angela Merkel pauses during a news conference with Swiss President Didier Burkhalter in Berlin February 18, 2014. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel's popularity has slipped in the last few months and dipped 4 points in the last week alone, due in part to her forced absence after a skiing accident at the end of last year, a poll showed on Wednesday.

Although conservative Merkel, who has shared power with the Social Democrats (SPD) since mid-December, still enjoys a strong rating of 53 percent, it has fallen 12 points from the start of October, according to the Forsa survey.