Washington - United States President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were the “most admired” man and woman in the United States in 2010, according to an annual Gallup poll.
Obama led the field of male candidates with 22 percent, followed by former presidents George Bush (five percent) and Bill Clinton (four percent).
They were followed by post-apartheid South African leader Nelson Mandela and Microsoft founder Bill Gates, each with two percent.
Obama has held the title since 2008, after he won the election and became the first African-American US president. That year he was the “most admired” by 32 percent of those polled.
Hillary Clinton held onto the title of “most admired” woman for the ninth straight year after largely dominating the poll over the last two decades.
This year she led with 17 percent, followed by conservative former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin with 12 percent and TV titan Oprah Winfrey with 11 percent.
They were trailed by First Lady Michelle Obama with five percent and former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice with two percent.
The survey was carried out on December 10-12 with a random sample of 1,019 adults living in the continental United States. It has a margin of error of plus or minus four percent. - AFP