A YouGov's international survey reveals some of the most admired men and women across the globe, irrespective of field and status, for 2021 as the year comes to a close.
Leading the polls for both men and women are the Obamas, clearing in at a clear number one position. The reasons can be quite apparent and clear: Barack Obama was considered to be an effective leader, a ray of hope to both African Americans as well as other immigrant communities about their lives within the USA, and a depiction of liberal politics that most people were on board for. His tenure even oversaw the death of Osama bin Laden, in an infiltrative mission that while definitely shady, was still a complete success and did wonders for his career. Michelle Obama is well liked, but for a few different reasons. Sure, her marriage to Barack definitely helped matters, but ultimately Michelle’s likability boiled down to the work she did as First Lady. While the First Lady is typically considered to be an honorific post, with no real and tangible duties outside of being supportive and whatnot, Obama’s career saw her actively tackling the obesity endemic, encouraging widespread education, and reaching out to the masses in a way that not even Barack managed to. Overall, they have proven to be, and continue to be, an absolute power couple that still inspires people.
While it’s completely impossible to talk about all possible entries, let’s go down the list and tackle a few notable ones. Angelina Jolie, UN ambassador, actress, and overall glamorous queen, obviously scored second on the list of notable women. Other than her or Betty White, I see no other competition in my heart. She’s followed by Queen Elizabeth the second, the United Kingdom’s current monarch; and honestly, I’d really have preferred Betty White. Emma Watson maintains her 6th position from last year, and Scarlett Johansson moved up a few spaces to be at the 5th position. Between these two, and a new entry marked at number 13 by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, actresses still seem to carry a lot of weight in popularity lists. Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg are also on the list, despite the inane amount of online hate they get, which is a really nice surprise.
On the men’s side, Bill Gates (the renowned tech industry influencer) ranked on 2nd, Elon Musk is currently at number six, having gone up a few rungs from last year. Considering just how successful the man has been in 2021, hard to see how he wouldn’t be. Jackie Chan scored an impressive 5th space slot, which I will always be happy about, and there seems to be no sign of Jeff Bezos anywhere on the list (which, yes, is very weird news). Politicians from across the world such as Narendra Modi (from India), Imran Khan (from Pakistan), Joe Biden, Donald Trump (from United States), and Xi Jinping (from China) seem to have a lot of influence on the list.
Leading the polls for both men and women are the Obamas, clearing in at a clear number one position. The reasons can be quite apparent and clear: Barack Obama was considered to be an effective leader, a ray of hope to both African Americans as well as other immigrant communities about their lives within the USA, and a depiction of liberal politics that most people were on board for. His tenure even oversaw the death of Osama bin Laden, in an infiltrative mission that while definitely shady, was still a complete success and did wonders for his career. Michelle Obama is well liked, but for a few different reasons. Sure, her marriage to Barack definitely helped matters, but ultimately Michelle’s likability boiled down to the work she did as First Lady. While the First Lady is typically considered to be an honorific post, with no real and tangible duties outside of being supportive and whatnot, Obama’s career saw her actively tackling the obesity endemic, encouraging widespread education, and reaching out to the masses in a way that not even Barack managed to. Overall, they have proven to be, and continue to be, an absolute power couple that still inspires people.
While it’s completely impossible to talk about all possible entries, let’s go down the list and tackle a few notable ones. Angelina Jolie, UN ambassador, actress, and overall glamorous queen, obviously scored second on the list of notable women. Other than her or Betty White, I see no other competition in my heart. She’s followed by Queen Elizabeth the second, the United Kingdom’s current monarch; and honestly, I’d really have preferred Betty White. Emma Watson maintains her 6th position from last year, and Scarlett Johansson moved up a few spaces to be at the 5th position. Between these two, and a new entry marked at number 13 by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, actresses still seem to carry a lot of weight in popularity lists. Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg are also on the list, despite the inane amount of online hate they get, which is a really nice surprise.
On the men’s side, Bill Gates (the renowned tech industry influencer) ranked on 2nd, Elon Musk is currently at number six, having gone up a few rungs from last year. Considering just how successful the man has been in 2021, hard to see how he wouldn’t be. Jackie Chan scored an impressive 5th space slot, which I will always be happy about, and there seems to be no sign of Jeff Bezos anywhere on the list (which, yes, is very weird news). Politicians from across the world such as Narendra Modi (from India), Imran Khan (from Pakistan), Joe Biden, Donald Trump (from United States), and Xi Jinping (from China) seem to have a lot of influence on the list.
