Obama Is Years Most Admired Man, But Who Placed Second May Surprise You
The Gallup poll for most admired man and woman came out today, and President Obama has topped the list for men yet again. However, what’s surprising is the pair of men that tied for second place. According to the results, Donald Trump and Pope Francis both tied for second place with 5 percent of the vote each.
Poll: @HillaryClinton and @POTUS are this year's most "admired" public figures https://t.co/PScQhIYh8D pic.twitter.com/cOvdKFwniP
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) December 28, 2015
“Trump’s surprisingly strong and often controversial presidential campaign has made him a prominent news figure this year and, thus, top-of-mind for many Americans,” Gallup’s Jeffrey Jones wrote.
“This helps explain his strong showing when Gallup asks Americans, in an open-ended fashion, to name the man they admire most. The successful businessman has finished in the top 10 four other times, including from 1988 through 1990 and in 2011.”
President Obama is no stranger to landing number one on Gallup’s most admired list. In fact, he’s landed there eight different times, averaging 23 percent of the vote for the past few years.
On the other side of the spectrum, Hillary Clinton topped the list of most admired women, with Malala Yousafzai coming in second place with 5 percent of the vote. Like President Obama, Hillary has been named the most admired woman many times, with an average 16 percent of the vote in each of the 20 times she’s topped the list. The New York Post reports that Clinton has been elected the most admired women 14 years straight.
Also appearing in the top 10 most admired men are Bernie Sanders, Bill Gates, and Ben Carson. Clearly, those involved in politics, business, and religion are the prominent members of the group.
On the women’s side, television personalities like Oprah and Ellen DeGeneres nabbed spots in the top 10 beside other political figures such as Carly Fiorina, Michelle Obama, and Elizabeth Warren. Clinton’s dominance has come even in the face of her ever changing political status.
Jeffrey Jones writes, “Since 1993, the year she was first named most admired woman, Clinton has stayed in the news as first lady, U.S. senator, secretary of state and a two-time presidential candidate.”
“Former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt was named most admired woman 13 times during her lifetime, putting her second to Clinton in terms of first-place finishes.”
Americans fixture on political figures as those worthy to top the list isn’t a new trend. According to Jeffrey Jones the presidential limit of eight years in office has served as a natural barrier to those looking to break past eight times at the top of the list.
“Americans usually name the sitting U.S. president as the most admired man. The only men to win the distinction at least four times were all presidents. The tendency to name the sitting president as most admired man has acted as a cap on the number of total times a man can win the honor at eight, or the number of years elected presidents can serve,” Jones said.
Obama could join President Eisenhower in gaining top honors if he remains somewhat popular in his final year as president.
Trump, Pope Francis tie for second place as most admired man of 2015: https://t.co/JlNhBQRI86 pic.twitter.com/QlqTMnJjxQ
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) December 28, 2015
While Obama’s time at the top of the list may be waning, Hillary Clinton’s reign as most admired woman may just be getting started.
“Clinton is the front-runner for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination. Given the prominence of presidents and ex-presidents in the most admired lists, if Clinton succeeds in her presidential bid, she would certainly continue to add to her long list of records in Gallup’s most admired polling. This would include joining Eisenhower as the only two people who have ever been named most admired man or woman before being elected president,” stated Jeffrey Jones.
The poll shows us a lot about our country and what we look for in our role models. Time will tell whether President Obama and Hillary Clinton can maintain their status in Gallup’s most admired list.
[Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]
