---
title: "Favorable First Lady"
description: "Nearly seven-in-ten Americans have a favorable view of Michelle Obama."
date: "2011-03-30"
authors:
  - name: "Russell Heimlich"
    job_title: "Former web developer"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/russell-heimlich/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2011/03/30/favorable-first-lady-2/"
---

# Favorable First Lady

While political fights continue to divide Americans on most issues and politicians, one person in Washington continues to be broadly popular. Fully 69% of the public has a favorable view of First Lady Michelle Obama. Just 21% have an unfavorable view of the president’s wife. Three-quarters of women (75%) view Michelle Obama favorably as do 67% of independents. Even among Republicans, about as many hold a favorable view (44%) of Michelle Obama as an unfavorable opinion (43%). When Michelle Obama’s favorable rating was first tested in May 2008, just as many then as now had an unfavorable opinion of her (21%), while 43% viewed her favorably and nearly a third (32%) could not rate her. Since President’ Obama’s inauguration, however, she has been overwhelmingly popular with the public. [Read More](https://www.pewresearch.org/pubs/1937/poll-2012-campaign-obama-reelection-republican-primary-romney-huckabee-palin)