Bush now more popular than Obama

Some 52% of adults had a favorable impression of George W. Bush, 43% unfavorable. When Bush left office in 2009, only about one-third of Americans said they had a positive opinion of him, CNN said according to recent poll.

This new poll presents a notable shift as Bush's overall favorability has remained well below 50% for much of his time as a presidential alum.

Overall, 47% say things in the country are going well, 52% that they're going badly. That's a reversal from March, when 53% said things were going well, the highest share to say so during Barack Obama's presidency. The shift comes across partisan and demographic lines, with no one group's opinions driving the overall change.

Obama's approval rating has suffered a similar blow.

Americans view the sitting president less positively than all of his predecessors. The public is split 49% favorable to 49% unfavorable on Obama, a bit worse than his 52% favorable to 46% unfavorable mark in March, but similar to other reads on his favorability in CNN/ORC polling throughout the last year.

While it's dropped since April, going from a near-even 48% approve to 47% disapprove split to a negative-tilting 52% disapprove to 45% approve, the rising disapproval ratings come across party lines, from both men and women, from whites and non-whites.

The CNN/ORC Poll was conducted by telephone May 29-31 among a random national sample of 1,025 adults.