Whether it's the earnest Josiah Bartlet from The West Wing or the manipulative Frank Underwood in House of Cards, people in the US prefer television presidents to their real-life chief executive, President Barack Obama.

A Reuters-Ipsos poll in this month found that 54 percent of those polled held an unfavorable opinion of Obama, known for his cool and cautious style.

In contrast, when asked to imagine that David Palmer of 24 was president, 89 percent of those who had seen the Fox drama said they held a favorable view of the decisive president played by Dennis Haysbert.