Washington, Apr 3 : Barack Obama might be touted as the most powerful man in the world, but when it comes to popularity, the US President's wife Michelle pips him to land the top spot, says a new survey.

In the new survey by Gallup, the First Lady beats her husband with a 72 percent favourable rating, as against his 69 percent.

"While the 3 percentage-point difference between the two favourable ratings is not statistically significant, Michelle Obama's much lower unfavourable ratings compared with the president's (17 percent vs. 28 percent) give her the clear edge in public favourability," The Politico quoted the polling company as saying.

Michelle, who campaigned for her husband months at a stretch in Iowa, was a favourite amongst women.

Her much criticised directness and use of irony actually made her seem more authentic and easier to connect to for women in Iowa.

Gallup noted that the First ladies often poll higher than their husbands.

This "likely reflects that their role is far less controversial than that of the president, which often results in less-partisan ratings of the first lady," Gallup noted. (ANI)