WASHINGTON (CBSDC) — A new poll reveals that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is the most popular national figure among American voters.

The Quinnipiac University national poll released Friday shows that Clinton enjoys a 61 percent favorability rating, 10 points higher than President Barack Obama.

“Hillary Clinton ends her term as Secretary of State and the bruising inquiry into the Benghazi murders as easily the most popular actor on the American political stage today,” Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said in a press release.

Obama’s job approval rating tumbled to 46 percent compared to 53 percent in December.

“The difference in favorability ratings for the two leaders lies in Clinton’s ability to win thumbs up from many more independent voters and Republicans than does the president,” Brown said. “The lower approval numbers for the president could be because once the election afterglow is gone, governing inevitably requires decisions that make some voters unhappy.”

Forty-nine percent of those surveyed approved John Kerry taking over for Clinton.

The Quinnipiac poll also found that a majority of Americans are not happy with the way the country is going. Sixty-eight percent of American voters are “somewhat” to “very dissatisfied” with the way things are going, while only 31 percent are satisfied.

The poll was conducted from Jan. 30 to Feb. 4 with 1,772 registered voters.