Obama, Hillary Clinton Named ‘Most Admired’ in Gallup Poll

Dec 27, 2011 6:33pm

Obama, Hillary Clinton Named ‘Most Admired’ in Gallup Poll

                                                                                           Kevin Dietsch-Pool

When asked without prompting to name the living man and woman whom they most admire in the world, more Americans name Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton than any other figures.

The Gallup rankings, tallied from a nationwide poll conducted earlier this month, show Obama and Clinton each receiving 17 percent of all mentions.  

Clinton tops the list of most admired woman for a record 16th time, trailed by Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, Sarah Palin and Condoleezza Rice.

Obama won the title of most admired man for the fourth consecutive year, followed by George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, the Rev. Billy Graham and Warren Buffett.

The lists, which Gallup has compiled nearly every year since 1948, are a mix of popular, high-profile leaders in politics, business, charitable causes and entertainment.

Of particular note this year, according to Gallup, are newcomers to the men’s list: Buffett and Thomas Monson, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“It is common for the president of the Mormon Church to receive mentions, but Monson is the first to make the top 10,” Gallup managing editor Jeffrey Jones wrote on its blog.

On the women’s list, Sarah Palin fell from her second-place slot, which she has held since 2008, to fourth place.  

Michele Bachmann and Newt Gingrich are the only two Republican presidential candidates to make the lists.

Bachmann holds the 9th-place slot, with 2 percent of mentions as most admired woman, tied with Queen Elizabeth II.

Gingrich is tied for sixth place with Donald Trump, with 1 percent, barely above Pope Benedict XVI, Bill Gates and Monson for most admired man.