Barnaby Joyce should resign: Newspoll

A majority of Australians believe embattled Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce should resign following his affair with a staffer, the latest Newspoll shows.

Up to 65 per cent of voters across the country believe the deputy prime minister should resign with a third of those also believing Mr Joyce should quit federal parliament.

Newspoll quizzed 1632 voters across Australia including those in regional areas and cities for the findings released on Sunday.

Of the voters who want Mr Joyce gone, 29 per cent believe the New England MP should step down as the Nationals leader but remain on the backbench while 21 per cent believe he should step down and not recontest the next election.

A quarter of regional voters wanted to see Mr Joyce resign from parliament immediately because of the love-child scandal, with just 20 per cent of city voters wanting to see him go.

Meanwhile Malcolm Turnbull's personal approval ratings fell, dropping five points to 40 per cent, leaving only a seven point margin between the Liberal leader and Labor leader Bill Shorten as preferred prime minister.

The coalition's primary vote also fell two points to 36 per cent, one point behind Labor's which remained unchanged.

The two-party-preferred vote has returned the coalition to the position it held in December trailing Labor 53 per cent to 47.