A poll released this week shows a downward trend in Gov. Deval Patrick's job approval ratings, as 50 percent of respondents do not approve of the job he is doing while 45 percent do.

The SurveyUSA/WBZ-TV survey of 600 Massachusetts voters was conducted Nov. 21-24 and released on Wednesday.

Compared to a SurveyUSA/WBZ-TV poll taken a month earlier, this week's survey shows 6 percent fewer respondents approve of Patrick's performance - 45 percent compared to 51 percent. Six percent more disapprove of the job Patrick has done - 50 percent to 44 percent.

The poll was taken shortly after Patrick proposed to eliminate the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, remove tolls in most of Western Massachusetts and increase tolls on tunnels serving Logan Airport and East Boston.

Patrick's approval rating slipped the most among Democrats. In October, 70 percent of Democrats approved of his job performance while 26 percent disapproved. In this poll, the percent that approved of Patrick's performance shrunk by 18 percent points to 52 percent. Forty percent disapproved of Patrick's performance in the most recent poll, a 14 percentage point jump from the 26 percent that disapproved in the October poll.

There was a margin of error of 4.1 percent in both polls.

Patrick has repeatedly stated that he plans to run for re-election in 2010. Treasurer Tim Cahill recently told the Boston Herald that he hasn't shut the door on challenging Patrick in the 2010 gubernatorial Democratic primary.

Check out the October poll here and the November poll here .