GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- While a person can gain public notoriety in many ways, running for president seems to be the most effective of them. Still, being incredibly rich, a television personality or a professional athlete doesn't hurt either. In a Gallup poll conducted January 25-26, the overwhelming majority of Americans -- 90% -- correctly name Al Gore as the vice president of the United States. This number is up significantly from 1997, when 69% of the public named him correctly. In this most recent poll, 72% also correctly name GOP presidential candidate George W. Bush as the governor of Texas. The host of television's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," Regis Philbin, is identified by 66% of the American public. Two other personalities are identified by a similar proportion of the American public -- professional golfer Tiger Woods and Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, with 62% each.
The 90% recognition level for Al Gore may not be surprising, given that his name and title were read to respondents earlier in the survey when they were asked about their election voting intentions. The interesting fact is this: George W. Bush's name and title were also read to respondents, yet -- as noted -- only 7 out of 10 remembered who he was a few minutes later in the interview.
Nearly the entire spectrum of American age groups can correctly identify Al Gore by his job title. The same can not be said for Governor Bush, whose recognition level drops to 55% among those aged 18-24, compared with 84% among those at least 65 years old. Conversely, Tiger Woods is best known among young people, with 67% of 18- to 24-year-olds able to cite him when asked to name the world's top pro golfer. In the case of Bill Gates, men are more likely to correctly name him as the chairman of Microsoft Corporation than are women, 67% to 58%. Regis Philbin is best known in the East, with 73% of eastern residents citing him as the host of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."
Other Recognizable Figures
What could Jay Leno and Janet Reno possibly have in common? Well,
59% of the public can correctly identify them by the roles they
perform as the host of "The Tonight Show" and the Attorney General
of the U.S., respectively. In the January 25-26 Gallup poll, 38% of
Americans also correctly name Denzel Washington as the star of the
recently released movie "The Hurricane," a role for which
Washington recently won the Golden Globe Award for best actor.
For late-night talk-show-host Leno, age plays a significant factor in his recognition. Sixty-two percent of those aged 18-29 know him by what he does, compared to 43% of those 65 years and older. For Attorney General Reno, education is the major factor in her notoriety, as 84% of those with a postgraduate education know her position, a number that dwindles to 45% among those with a high school education or less. Washington, an African-American actor, is more recognizable among nonwhites than among whites, 56% to 35%.
The People Americans Don't Really Know
Not all public figures enjoy substantial recognition from the
American public. Congressman Dennis Hastert is named correctly as
Speaker of the House of Representatives by only 6% of the public.
Similarly, just 6% can name Ehud Barak as the prime minister of
Israel. These findings take on new significance when compared to
findings about the predecessors of these men. In a 1997 Gallup
poll, 53% of the public correctly named Newt Gingrich as the
speaker of the House. Barak's predecessor, Benjamin Netanyahu,
fared somewhat better in 1997 than Barak does today, with 16% at
the time able to name him as Israel's leader.
Bill Gates: A Man With Two Hats
Unlike other public figures asked about in the Gallup poll, Bill
Gates has the unique position of being known for two things. He is
chairman of Microsoft Corporation, which produces commonly used
computer software. He also happens to be the richest person in the
U.S. In the current poll, Gallup asked about both and found that
62% of the public know he is the chairman of Microsoft, while 61%
know he is the richest man in the U.S. A closer examination reveals
that 48% of the public were able to correctly name Gates by both of
his roles.
Survey Methods
The results below are based on telephone interviews with a randomly
selected national sample of 1,044 adults, 18 years and older,
conducted January 25-26, 2000. For results based on this sample,
one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error
attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus
3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question
wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can
introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion
polls.
Just off the top of your head, would you happen to know the name of … (Random order)?
A. The vice president of the United States
| Al Gore | Any other response | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Jan 25-26 | 90% | 1 | 9 |
| 1997 Jun 27-30 | 69% | 1 | 29 |
B. The attorney general of the United States
| Janet Reno | Any other response | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Jan 25-26 | 59% | 2 | 39 |
| 1997 Jun 27-30 | 45% | 2 | 53 |
C. The host of "The Tonight Show" on TV
| Jay Leno | David Letterman | Any other response | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Jan 25-26 | 59% | 14 | 6 | 21 |
| 1997 Jun 27-30 | 63% | 6 | 2 | 29 |
D. The governor of Texas
| George W. Bush | Any other response | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Jan 25-26 | 72% | 1 | 27 |
E. The world's top professional golfer who was also the leading money winner on the PGA professional golf tour last year
| Tiger Woods | Any other response | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Jan 25-26 | 62% | 3 | 35 |
F. The speaker of the House of Representatives in Washington
| Dennis Hastert | Any other response | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Jan 25-26 | 6% | 6 | 88 |
| 1997 Jun 27-30* | 53% | 2 | 45 |
| (*)Newt Gingrich | |||
G. The star of the recently released movie, "The Hurricane"
| Denzel Washington | Any other response | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Jan 25-26 | 38% | 1 | 61 |
H. The prime minister of Israel
| Ehud Barak | Any other response | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Jan 25-26 | 6% | 8 | 86 |
| 1997 Jun 27-30* | 16% | 4 | 80 |
| (*) Benjamin Netanyahu | |||
I. The chairman of Microsoft
| Bill Gates | Any other response | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Jan 25-26 | 62% | 3 | 35 |
J. The richest person in the U.S.
| Bill Gates | Any other response | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Jan 25-26 | 61% | 12 | 27 |
K. The host of the TV show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire"
| Regis Philbin | Any other response | No opinion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Jan 25-26 | 66% | 3 | 31 |
