The poll, which revealed deep divides between whites and blacks, showed 67 percent of those questioned thought Bush could have done more and that just 28 percent believed he had done all he could to manage the disaster response.

The poll, conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press Tuesday and Wednesday among 1,000 Americans, showed Bush's approval rating dropping to 40 percent and his disapproval rating climbing to 52 percent.

It said the figures were among the bleakest of his presidency.

"The American public is highly critical of President Bush's handling of Hurricane Katrina relief efforts," the center said in a statement.

And for the first time since the attacks of September 11, 2001, a majority of Americans said it was more important for Bush to focus on domestic policy than the war on terrorism.

Perceptions of the disaster response differed considerably between racial groups, with 71 percent of blacks saying the disaster showed that racial inequality remained a major problem in the country, while 56 percent of whites said the issue was not a particularly important lesson of the disaster.

Some 66 percent of blacks thought that the government's response to the crisis would have been faster if most of the victims from the storm had been white.

Seventy-seven percent of whites disagreed.

Bush's administration has faced some of its most outspoken criticism to the disaster, with critics saying the federal response was too little too late and rebutting his contention that the disaster could not have been predicted.

While the final death toll from the catastrophe is unknown, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin warned the human cost could reach 10,000. Hundreds of thousands have been evacuated from the region and remain in temporary shelters.

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