Obama named America's most admired man - despite recent approval ratings hitting an all-time low

Hillary Clinton named most admired woman for record 16th time

Former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has dropped from second to fourth

Barack Obama has topped a list of Americans' most admired men, even though his presidential approval ratings stand at just 47 per cent.

When asked which man they most admired, 17 per of Americans named the US president, while Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, topped the female list, also with 17 per cent.

US TV star Oprah Winfrey was the second most admired woman, and Mr Obama's wife, Michelle, was third. Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was seventh and The Queen ninth on the list.

Public support: Barack Obama was the most admired man among Americans despite low presidential approval ratings

The poll was carried out by public opinion website Gallup, who asked Americans, without prompting, to name their most admired man and woman living today.

Behind Mr Obama in the men's poll were former presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, who gained three and two per cent of the vote, respectively. The evangelical Christian Reverend Billy Graham was fourth.

Americans' support for Mr Obama hit an all-time low in October when he was given a 38 per cent approval rating. It has since risen to 47 per cent but it remains a far cry from the 69 per cent approval rating he gained when he first came to office three years ago.

Seal of approval: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been named the most admired woman for the tenth year in a row

Mrs Clinton has topped Gallup's poll, which has been running since 1946, for the tenth year in a row, while Mr Obama has been the most admired man for the past four years.

MOST ADMIRED MAN 2011

1. Barack Obama

2. George W. Bush

3. Bill Clinton

4. Rev. Billy Graham

5. Warren Buffett

6. Newt Gingrich

7. Donald Trump

8. Pope Benedict XVI 9. Bill Gates

10.Thomas Monson

The Queen has never finished first in the poll but she has been in the top ten more than any other woman, making a record 44th appearance this year. She first made the top ten in 1948, five years before she was crowned. Mrs Thatcher has the second highest number of appearances on the top ten for women at 33.

Rev Graham has clocked up the highest number of appearances on the men's list, making the top ten 55 times, although he has never been voted the most admired man. That accolade usually goes to the American president, who has topped the list for the past 31 years.

Admiration: The Queen has been on Gallup's top ten 44 times

The most admired men and women typically come from the worlds of government, religion, business and entertainment or humanitarian causes. There are three business leaders in the men's list - Warren Buffett, Donald Trump and Bill Gates - and three religious leaders - Rev Graham, Pope Benedict XVI and Thomas Monson, the leader of the Mormon Church.

MOST ADMIRED WOMAN 2011

1. Hillary Clinton

2. Oprah Winfrey 3. Michelle Obama

4. Sarah Palin

5. Condoleezza Rice

6. Laura Bush

7. Margaret Thatcher

8. Ellen DeGeneres

9. Queen Elizabeth II

10. Michele Bachmann



Among the women there are eight from government and two from television - Ms Winfrey and chat show host Ellen DeGeneres. Former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who was voted the second most admired woman over the past three years, has fallen two places this year to number four.