Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been declared the Most Admired Woman of 2016. Who the hell are they surveying is what I want to know!
According to a newly released Gallup survey, Clinton has topped the list of America’s most admired woman for the 15th year in a row, and the 21st time ever.
In the poll, 12 percent of respondents said that Clinton was their top pick, with Michelle Obama in second place with 8 percent. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and television personality Oprah Winfrey tied for third with 3 percent of the votes each, and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres rounded out the top five with 2 percent of votes.
The survey, conducted Dec. 7 through 11, has been run every year since 1946.
This year’s Most Admired Man was President Barack Obama, who garnered 22 percent of respondents votes. The year’s second most admired man is President-elect Donald Trump, with 15 percent of votes. Trailing in third is Pope Francis with 4 percent, followed by Sen. Bernie Sanders in fourth with 2 percent of votes, and Rev. Billy Graham rounds out the top five with 1 percent support.
Graham has been in the top 10 every year since 1955.
According to The Washington Post, Clinton has enjoyed a relatively high public approval rating for the majority of her 25 years on the national stage. However, her favorability rating dropped dramatically during her two attempts at the White House.
In 1998, as first lady during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Clinton saw a favorable rating of 64 percent. However, at the end of her first run for president in 2008 (against then-Senator Barack Obama), her approval rating dropped to 44 percent (and her disapproval rating shot up from 28 percent in 1998 to 54 percent).
Then, in 2013, after spending time as the Secretary of State, Clinton reached her highest yet favorability rating of 67 percent (coupled with a 26 percent unfavorable rating). Her second attempt at the presidency once again plummeted her approval score. As of August, her favorability rating stood at 41 percent, while disapproval of Clinton rose to an all-time high of 56 percent.
Sources: Gallup, The Washington Post / Photo credit: Hillary Clinton/Instagram