GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- President and Mrs. Clinton top the rankings in the Gallup Poll's annual Most Admired survey, each mentioned by 14% of Americans as the man or women "living anywhere in the world" they hold in greatest esteem. An array of religious, political and entertainment names account for most of the other top mentions, with one sports figure, Michael Jordan, and one business leader, Bill Gates, ranking among the top ten most admired men. No one other than Bill and Hillary Clinton, however, is named by more than 6% of Americans, a rarity in the half century of Gallup's Most Admired poll.
Despite the apparent shortage of dominant living heroes in American culture, two-thirds of Americans are able to name a man or woman they look up to. About 10% of Americans name someone they know (a friend or relative) as the man or woman they admire most, while about half name a more public figure for each list.
Ranking second to Bill Clinton on the list of Most Admired men is the Reverend Dr. Billy Graham with 6 percent -- his thirty-fourth consecutive appearance on the top ten list. Pope John Paul II is a close third, followed by Colin Powell and Jimmy Carter.
Ranking from sixth through tenth are Nelson Mandela, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Michael Jordan and Bill Gates, each named by 2-3 percent.
Most Admired Women
With the death of Mother Teresa, Gallup's list of Most Admired
Women lost a major force. The widely revered nun of the Sisters of
Charity had ranked first the previous two years, and in 1996 was
mentioned by nearly one-fourth of Americans, well ahead of Hillary
Rodham Clinton's 1997 first place figure.
Oprah Winfrey now ranks second, and Barbara Bush and Margaret Thatcher tie for third, each mentioned by 5%. Rounding out the top ten are Madeleine Albright, Elizabeth Dole, Maya Angelou, Janet Reno, Queen Elizabeth and Nancy Reagan, mentioned by 1-2 percent.
It is a tribute to her impact that, despite her death this summer, Mother Teresa received 9% of mentions, although these were not counted in the ranking of the Most Admired woman "living today." Diana, Princess of Wales, was also named by 9% of Americans, representing about double the figure she received the previous year.
U.S. President is Usually the Top Man
The Gallup Poll has tracked America's choice of their Most Admired
men and women since 1946 and finds that in almost every year, the
sitting President of the United States emerged as the Most Admired
Man. The few exceptions are:
- The post-World War II period when General Eisenhower and Douglas MacArthur surpassed Harry Truman on the list
- The height of the controversy over the Vietnam War, from 1967-1968, when several political figures led President Lyndon Johnson
- The Watergate period from 1973-74, when Henry Kissinger, Billy Graham and others outpaced President Richard Nixon
- 1980, when Pope John Paul II led the politically struggling President Jimmy Carter.
The choice of Most Admired Woman has been more varied. Many years, ex-first ladies held the top spot over sitting first ladies, and in 1968 candidate Robert Kennedy's wife, Ethel, won out over Lady Bird Johnson. World leaders Indira Gandhi, Golda Meir and Margaret Thatcher have all ranked first many times.
Mother Teresa was a top contender from her earliest appearance on the list in 1979, and ranked first three times, in 1986, 1995 and 1996.
METHODOLOGY
The results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly
selected national sample of 1,005 adults, 18 years and older,
conducted December 18-21, 1997. For results based on samples of
this size, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the error
attributable to sampling and other random effects could be 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.
What man that you have heard or read about, living today in any part of the world, do you admire most? And who is your second choice? (based on 1st and 2nd choices combined)
|
Most Admired Man |
|
| 1997 | 1996 |
| 1. Bill Clinton | 1. Bill Clinton |
| 2. Billy Graham | 2. Pope John Paul II |
| 3. Pope John Paul II | 3. Colin Powell (tie) |
| 4. Colin Powell | 3. Billy Graham |
| 5. Jimmy Carter | 5. Bob Dole (tie) |
| 6. Nelson Mandela | 5. Ronald Reagan |
| 7. Ronald Reagan | 5. Jimmy Carter |
| 8. George Bush | 8. Nelson Mandela (tie) |
| 9. Michael Jordan | 8. George Bush |
| 10. Bill Gates | 8. Michael Jordan |
| 8. Norman Schwartzkopf | |
What woman that you have heard or read about, living today in any part of the world, do you admire most? And who is your second choice? (based on 1st and 2nd choices combined)
|
Most Admired Woman |
|
| 1997 | 1996 |
| 1. Hillary Clinton | 1. Mother Teresa |
| 2. Oprah Winfrey | 2. Hillary Rodham Clinton |
| 3. Barbara Bush (tie) | 3. Barbara Bush |
| 3. Margaret Thatcher | 4. Oprah Winfrey (tie) |
| 5. Madeleine Albright | 4. Elizabeth Dole |
| 6. Elizabeth Dole | 6. Margaret Thatcher |
| 7. Maya Angelou | 7. Diana, Princess of Wales |
| 8. Janet Reno | 8. Madeleine Albright (tie) |
| 9. Queen Elizabeth II | 8. Nancy Reagan |
| 10. Nancy Reagan | 10. Barbra Streisand (tie) |
| 10. Queen Elizabeth | |
| 10. Rosalyn Carter | |
