Former President Barack Obama is the most admired man in the world today, and his wife, Michelle, remains the most admired woman, according to a new poll.
President Joe Biden, meanwhile, ranks as the 20th most admired man, below former President Donald Trump, who finished 13th (up two places from 2020), and autocratic Russian President Vladimir Putin, who came in ninth.
These are the results of an online poll from YouGov that asked 42,000 people across more than three dozen countries to rank the public figures they most admired. Political leaders, businessmen, and philanthropists dominated the list.
Philanthropist and Microsoft founder Bill Gates was second in the poll, and Chinese President Xi Jinping retained third place. Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo moved up two places to fourth.
Space X founder and billionaire Tesla owner Elon Musk, recently anointed as Time magazine’s Person of the Year for 2021, moved up three places to sixth on the list.
Another billionaire, Warren Buffett, came in 11th.
In the separate women’s list, Michelle Obama was followed by actress/philanthropist Angelina Jolie, Queen Elizabeth II, and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Vice President Kamala Harris was a new entry at No. 11, one place ahead of Hillary Clinton.
Another former first lady, Melania Trump, was 16th, up three places from 2020.
YouGov asked panelists in 38 countries: “Thinking about people alive in the world today, which [man or woman] do you most admire?”
Lists of 20 men and 20 women who had been nominated in at least four countries were compiled, with up to 10 local figures added to the group for certain countries.
After the short lists were compiled, respondents could make a number of selections when asked, “Who do you truly admire?” and one choice when asked, “Who do you most admire?”
Both numbers were combined to come up with the results, which YouGov says was a snapshot of opinion from countries that constitute more than 70% of the world’s population.
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