by Elton Gomes
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone are on this year’s list of Most Admired People, according to a study compiled by YouGov. While Bachchan was ranked at 11th spot in the women’s rankings, Chopra and Padukone found themselves on 12th and 13th places, respectively. Besides the three actresses, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan also featured on the list. In the men’s ranking, Modi saw himself at the 8th post, while Bachchan was one spot below.
The men’s list was topped by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, while actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian Angelina Jolie was number one in the women’s list. Former First Lady Michelle Obama occupied second spot on the women’s list while media Moghul Oprah Winfrey came in third. Former United States President Barack Obama and Jackie Chan occupied 2nd and 3rd place, respectively, on the men’s list.
The study conducts online interviews with more than 37,000 people across 35 countries, and compiles a final list of 20 men and 20 women. Bill Gates and Angelina Jolie have topped the list every year since 2015 when separate male and female categories were announced. The four Indian actors – Bachchan, Aishwarya, Chopra, and Padukone – have featured on the list for the first time.
Bill Gates and Angelina Jolie are the most admired man and woman in the world, our new 35-country study finds. Barack and Michelle Obama are second in each category, while Jackie Chan and Oprah Winfrey come third
Bill Gates and Angelina Jolie are the most admired man and woman in the world, our new 35-country study finds. Barack and Michelle Obama are second in each category, while Jackie Chan and Oprah Winfrey come third https://t.co/RzfYg4DJB8 pic.twitter.com/quXFXQ0KU0
YouGov (@YouGov) April 11, 2018
YouGov (@YouGov) April 11, 2018
“Entertainers dominate the female top twenty, with 14 of the most admired women being actresses, singers or TV presenters (although some, like Emma Watson and Angelina Jolie, are also notable for their humanitarian work). By contrast, the list of most admired men contains more people from political, business and sporting backgrounds,” YouGov said in its website.
The top 10 in the women’s list contains five names who are either actresses, singers, or talk show hosts. Emma Watson, Taylor Swift, Madonna, feature in the top 10, among others. The top 10 in the men’s list saw four spots occupied by politicians – Narendra Modi, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Barack Obama, among others. Other heads of states such as Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdogan occupied 17th and 19th spots, respectively. Pakistani politician Imran Khan came in the 20th post in the men’s list.
In the women’s list, American politician Elizabeth Warren found herself on the 20th spot, while British prime minister Theresa May came in 15th. German chancellor Angela Merkel was ranked 8th on the list, and American politician Hillary Clinton came in 5th.
Portuguese footballing superstar Cristiano Ronaldo came in 10th in the men’s list, while Argentine talisman Lionel Messi occupied 11th spot. American basketball player Michael Jordan was ranked 15th, while British footballer David Beckham saw himself on the 13th spot.
Elton Gomes is a staff writer at Qrius