WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump's approval rating inched up to 49 percent, marking its highest level this year, said a poll Wednesday.

The figure, released by Hill-HarrisX poll, reflected public opinion on Trump on Sept. 28-29, less than a week after the Democratic Party announced impeachment inquiry. It increased 2 percentage points compared with a previous poll conducted on Sept.11-12.

The support rate was the highest for Trump this year, but 2 percentage points lower than his all-time peak seen in August last year.

The record came as the Democratic Party is pressing forward with his impeachment inquiry and support for his impeachment is rising in the polls, suggesting that impeachment efforts may be helping Trump solidify his base.

Among Republican voters, Trump had an 81-percent net approval rating, while the figure is 21 percent among Democratic voters.

According to a separate poll released earlier Wednesday, 46 percent of those polled supported impeaching Trump, while 43 percent were against, showing a new high of support for impeachment. In a poll released Tuesday, 44 percent said Trump should be removed from office through impeachment, while 52 percent disagree.

Public opinion is heavily gauged by both political parties as they chart their path through this political storm with the hope of scoring more political points than their opponents. Considering margins of error, the polls showed consistent result that the country is split over whether Trump is fit for office.

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives announced the launch of impeachment investigations after a whistleblower complaint alerted lawmakers about a telephone call between Trump and the Ukrainian president.

According to a description of the phone call released by the White House, Trump said he would like the Ukrainian government to investigate a corruption allegation against Hunter Biden, son of former U.S. Vice President and current Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.