The White House's economic stimulus plan isn't a surefire winner with the American public, but a majority does think the recovery plan will help, according to a new poll.

Fifty-three percent said the plan will improve economic conditions, according to a CNN/Opinion Research poll, while 44 percent said it won't stimulate the economy.

Of that 53 percent, here's how long people though recovery would take to start:

• 19 percent said by the end of the year
• 16 percent said by next year
• 18 percent said longer than two years

On an individual level, there was less hope for improvement, according to the poll. Thirty-one percent of those polled did not think the stimulus package will improve their financial situation. Two out of three said it would not help them personally.

The CNN/Opinion Research poll was conducted Wednesday and Thursday, with 1,046 people questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.