#CouplesGoals: 30% of Americans Rank Barack and Michelle Obama as Their #1 Couple

Despite reports of distance and divorce, the Obamas appear to be going as strong as ever, with both Barack and Michelle recently dispelling rumors about tension in their marriage. 

But hard times aren’t lost on the couple, having gone through two heavily publicized terms in the White House that often centered around their marriage. Yet their relationship has stood the test of time — and has remained so in public American perception as well.  

DatingAdvice.com recently commissioned a survey of 1,000 U.S. adults to determine who America’s favorite couples are — both in reality and fiction.

And the Obamas top the list, with 30% of Americans ranking the former first couple as the best, showing that recent headlines haven’t broken the couple’s charm and may have only deepened their appeal. 

In 2025, relationship authenticity trumps relationship perfection. People no longer admire couples who appear perfect; instead, they value relatable relationships that have been proven to weather storms and remain strong through it all. 

This sentiment couldn’t be clearer in America’s choice for its favorite couple: Barack and Michelle Obama.  

Relationships aren’t all about the good times, but the ability to ride the highs and lows. And our study shows Gen Zers specifically gravitate toward that authenticity more than anything else. 

Gen Zers were more likely to resonate with Chrissy Teigen and John Legend — a couple who embrace emotional transparency and online visibility — than other age groups.

While the Obamas were still their top choice (35%), 18% of Gen Z respondents named Chrissy Teigen and John Legend as their favorite pairing, compared to only 10% of boomers.  

On the other hand, boomers leaned more toward the traditional, long-lasting icons like the Obamas and showed less favorability for “online” couples. 

The glam power couple, David and Victoria Beckham, saw the most votes among millennials, with 16.6% voting for the pair, but saw their scores fade with Gen Z and Gen X.

Overall, the data suggests that younger generations deem visibility, transparency, and activism as couple goals — not just longevity. 

How Political Affiliation Sways Opinion

We can’t talk about the Obamas without mentioning politics. Interestingly enough, the Obamas’ shared love has traversed the political divide. Though known for their more progressive ideals, nearly one in three Moderates and even one in six Conservatives still view them as relationship goals.

Chrissy and John’s appeal also crossed political lines, with 14% of Moderates and 16.7% of Conservatives picking the pair as relationship role models. Though Beckhams didn’t fare well with Conservatives (0%), they performed relatively well with Moderates (12.6%) and Liberals (11.8%).

These results show that political affiliation doesn’t necessarily dictate or influence how people view romantic relationships and success. Conversely, when it comes to aspirational love, people value stability and partnership over ideology.

Our study also looked at the fictional love that transcended TV screens to become icons of American pop culture. On top is Monica and Chandler (“Friends”), with 21.9% of respondents naming the comedic TV pairing as couple goals. 

“The Office’s” fan-favorite duo, Jim and Pam, came in second with 17.3% of the votes. Rounding out the rest of the top five list were the following:

• Ron and Hermione (“Harry Potter”): 11.0%
• Nick and Rachel (“Crazy Rich Asians”): 10.2%
• Carrie and Big (“Sex and the City”): 8.3%

Although age did play a factor in choices, it seemed that what respondents binged on streaming platforms also influenced couple rankings. For example, Monica and Chandler were strong across all age groups, especially among millennials and Gen X.

How men and women view relationships often differs, and our findings show just that. Our results reveal that women favored partnerships rooted in emotional connection while men leaned toward humor, stability, and legacy. 

When it came to real-life couples, Chrissy and John, the Obamas, and Harry and Meghan scored high on the list. For men, media-respected and enduring partnerships like the Clooneys and Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were highly favored. 

While the Obamas were universally liked, another gender-balanced pick that emerged was Zendaya and Tom Holland, with 7.3% and 6.7% of the votes coming from women and men, respectively. 

These trends also crossed over to fictional relationships. Women leaned toward emotionally layered couples who grew together, including Monica and Chandler (25.4%), Jim and Pam (12.1%), and Ron and Hermione (14.4%). 

Men resonated more with couples who showed humor and stability, including Monica and Chandler (20.1%) and Homer and Marge (22.9%), over those who were overly romanticized. 

Our results show that people are no longer fixated on perfection, but are seeking grounded examples for relationship inspiration in 2025. While longevity is still a marker of success, couples that can balance legacy and relatability have been shown to win out in the court of public opinion. 

This survey was conducted by DatingAdvice.com in March 2025, with a nationally representative sample of 1,000 U.S. adults. Respondents were asked to identify both real-life and fictional couples they consider to be “relationship goals.”

The sample was balanced across gender, age, race/ethnicity, and political affiliation. Results were analyzed by generation (Gen Z, millennials, Gen X, boomers), gender identity, and political leaning (Liberal, Moderate, Conservative). The survey was fielded online and has a margin of error of +/- 3.1%.