While Bill Gates remains the most admired man, the former First Lady has usurped Angelina Jolie’s place as the world’s favorite woman.
Even Oprah Winfrey came in second to Obama, incidentally bumping Jolie into third. Former Secretary of State and Clinton administration First Lady Hillary Clinton landed in eighth, beating the likes of Madonna and Ellen DeGeneres. Melania just barely made the list at 19.
Panelists from 41 countries each nominated ten candidates for the list, whereas the remaining ten were chosen from each nation’s “popular local figures. ” The poll had two questions: Respondents could pick multiple people to answer who they “truly admire,” but only one for who they “most admire.”
Husband and former President Barack Obama came in second to Gates on the mens’ list, followed close behind by international action star Jackie Chan. But the men’s top five included some dubious entries — not the least of which is Vladimir Putin, who somehow made the top ten. According to YouGov:
The top five men remain unchanged since last year. Former US president Barack Obama comes in second, and the third to fifth places are all occupied by Chinese figures: actor Jackie Chan in third, president Xi Jinping in fourth and businessman Jack Ma in fifth.
In a USA-specific version of the poll, Obama won outright — but with President Trump at his heels in second place. Mrs. Obama retained her crown on both.
2020 Democrat contenders for the presidency showed up this year as well. “Joe Biden is the 6th most admired man in the US, followed by Bernie Sanders in the 7th spot. Elizabeth Warren also made the list, as the 13th most admired woman in the country,” YouGov wrote.