Public support for Kevin Rudd is at the highest level for a prime minister in 20 years, while Brendan Nelson's approval has fallen to nine per cent.

The latest Newspoll, published in The Australian newspaper showed just nine per cent of people believed the opposition leader would make a better prime minister.

The figure was down two percentage points from the last poll.

Support for Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was up two points to 70 per cent, sending his personal approval rating soaring past that of John Howard and Bob Hawke to the highest reading for a prime minister since surveys began on the question in 1987, The Australian reports.

The poll shows 69 per cent of voters supported the government's apology to the Stolen Generations, including 46 per cent of coalition supporters.

Many watching last week's apology turned their backs on Dr Nelson during his response speech, in which he talked about child sex abuse and dysfunction in today's Aboriginal communities.

Dr Nelson has since emphasised his speech had not been a criticism of Aboriginal people, but of government's failures on Aboriginal issues.

The poll results were a little more favourable for the coalition on a two-party-preferred basis, as support inched up for the opposition and slipped slightly for the government.

Support for the coalition, after preferences, moved up one point to 43 per cent since January, while Labor's support slipped one point to 57 per cent.

However, Labor would have still won an election on the basis of the results.

The poll also shows more voters (68 per cent) are satisfied with Mr Rudd's performance as prime minister than they were (51 per cent) with Mr Howard's efforts in November.

Poll figures were compiled from 1140 phone interviews.