Abbott's popularity up: poll November 3, 2014 - 3:35AM Prime Minister Tony Abbott's personal approval has surged since July, but the coalition still lags behind Labor two-party preferred, a poll shows. Mr Abbott and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten are now tied as preferred prime minister, each fielding 41 per cent support, according to the Fairfax Ipsos survey. But in a worrying sign for the government, the survey also reveals the coalition trails Labor 49 per cent to 51 per cent, meaning the government would probably have lost an election if one had been held over the weekend. The poll of 1400 voters shows 64 per cent oppose deregulating university fees, only 40 per cent support Mr Abbott's paid parental leave scheme and just 41 per cent approve of raising the GST in exchange for tax cuts. Conducted between Thursday and Saturday, the poll shows the coalition's two-party preferred vote has risen three percentage points to 49 per cent, while its primary vote also has risen three points to 42 per cent. Labor's two-party preferred vote has fallen three points, from 54 per cent to 51 per cent, while its primary vote has dropped from 40 per cent to 37 per cent. Since July, Mr Abbott's performance rating has climbed four points to 42 per cent, while Mr Shorten's has fallen from 56 per cent to 49 per cent.