Every December Gallup asks American adults to name the man or woman living anywhere in the world that they most admire. Because there is no list for the poll respondents to choose from, and they can name any living man or woman on the entire planet, getting named by even 1% of Americans is a huge honor and means you are worshipped by MILLIONS and MILLIONS of people in the world's most powerful country. Gallup has been asking this question for over 60 years, and virtually every year, the most admired man is the sitting president and the most admired woman is typically the sitting president's wife, or a former presidents wife. This is because one has to be wildly popular to get elected president, and once the presidency is achieved, the office bestows enormous prestige on everyone connected with it, especially the president himself.
The most admired men of 2011: (Those in bold are self-made men as opposed to men who inherited their fame through marriage or birth. In parentheses I show how how each man's popularity changed from 2010. For example, Bill Clinton was worshipped by 4% of America in 2010, but 2% in 2011, so he lost half his support and thus is down 50%)
Barack obama 17% (down 23%)
son of George h.w. Bush 3% (down 20%)
Bill Clinton 2% (down 50%)
Billy Graham 2% (stable)
Warren buffet 2% (up 300%)
newt 1% (up 100%)
Son of Fred trump 1% (up 100%)
pope Benedict XVI 1%(down 50%)
Tim tebow 1% (up 300%)
dalai lama 1% (flat)
Son of george w. Romney 1% (up 100%)
rush 1% (flat)
Brad Pitt 1% (flat)
Son of Prescott bush 1% (up 100%)
Ron Paul 1% (up 100%)
Nelson Mandela 1% (down 50%)
Jimmy Carter 0.5% (down 75%)
Colin powell 0.5% (flat)
Clooney 0.5% (flat)
Glen beck 0.5% (down 75%)
Huckabee 0.5% (down 50%)
o'reilly 0.5% (flat)
Son of john s. McCain jr. 0.5% (flat)
Bono 0.5% (flat)
Tony Blair 0.5% (flat)
Arnold 0.5% (flat)
Michael Jordan 0.5% (up 100%)
Mr. Teresa Heinz Kerry 0.5% (up 100%)
The following women made the the list. Once again those in bold are self-made women as opposed to women who inherited their prestige through marriage or birth.
mrs bill Clinton 17% (flat)
oprah 7% (down 36%)
Mrs Barack Obama 5% (flat)
Sarah palin 4% (down 67%)
Condi 3% (up 50%)
Mrs son of George h.w. Bush 2% (up 50%)
Thather 2% (up 50%)
Ellen 2% (up 300%)
Eldest daughter of King George VI 2% (flat)
michelle Bachman 2% (up 800%)
daughter of Jon voight 1% (flat)
mrs prince William 1% (up 100%)
Maya Angelou 1% (up 100%)
Angela merkel 1% (up 100%)
Gabrielle giffords 1% (up 300%)
Dianne Sawyer 1% (up 300%)
Jennifer Lopez 1% (up 300%)
Aung San suu kyi 1% (flat)
Mrs George h. Bush 1% (flat)
Barbara Walters 0.5% (flat)
Nancy pelosi 0.5% (flat)
Mrs Ronald Reagan 0.5% (flat)
http://www.gallup.com/...
As first lady in the 1990s, it was expected that Mrs bill Clinton would become the most admired woman in the world, however unlike other first ladies, her popularity didn't fade when her husband left office. As a result of mrs bill Clinton refusing to leave the limelight, newer first ladies have lived in her shadow. Mrs son of George H.W. bush for example only got to be the most admired woman once after September 11, as Mrs Barack Obama never once had the honor. Mrs Barack Obama can however take comfort in the fact that in 2011 she finally overtook Sarah palin in popularity. Palin is now the fourth most admired woman in the world, and the second most admired self-made woman behind only Billionaire presidential kingmaker Oprah. Competition from Michelle bachman combined with the Gabrielle giffords scandal probably caused Palin to lose popularity, but she still towers as the most admired conservative woman in the world.