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Mandela is Most Admired Global Leader
- Many adults in 20 countries express appreciation for Nelson Mandela, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies for Maclean's. Respondents gave the former South African president a mean score of 7.0 among 19 global personalities.
Mandela led the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, spending 26 years in prison to eventually become the country's first black president in 1994. Mandela has remained active in the political stage. In 2005, the former South African president urged for action in the fight against AIDS in Africa, saying, "History and generations to come will judge our leaders by the decisions they make in the coming weeks. We urge them to save the lives of our children—let every child be a healthy child."
Microsoft founder Bill Gates was second on the list with 6.9, followed by the Dalai Lama with 6.3 per cent, and singer and activist Bono with 5.8 per cent. Former U.S. president Bill Clinton and United Nations (UN) secretary-general Kofi Annan were tied with 5.5.
Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper was seventh on the list with 5.2, followed by former U.S. president Jimmy Carter with 5.0, German chancellor Angela Merkel with 5.0, former Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi with 4.8 per cent, and Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula daSilva with 4.6. British prime minister Tony Blair and Pope Benedict XVI were tied with 4.5, followed by U.S. state secretary Condoleezza Rice with 4.3.
The five least admired leaders were Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez with 4.1, U.S. president George W. Bush with 3.3, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with 3.2, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah with 3.1, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il also with 3.1.
In the United States, Gates was the top choice with 7.1. In Canada, Mandela, Gates and the Dalai Lama were the only personalities who received a score higher than 7.0.
Politics In Depth - Bush Rating Almost as Bad as the "Axis of Evil"
Polling Data
How much do you admire the following world leaders?
(Mean score)
Nelson Mandela | 7.0 |
Bill Gates | 6.9 |
The Dalai Lama | 6.3 |
Bono | 5.8 |
Bill Clinton | 5.5 |
Kofi Annan | 5.5 |
Stephen Harper | 5.2 |
Jimmy Carter | 5.1 |
Angela Merkel | 5.0 |
Junichiro Koizumi | 4.8 |
Luis Inacio Lula da Silva | 4.6 |
Tony Blair | 4.5 |
Pope Benedict XVI | 4.5 |
Condoleezza Rice | 4.3 |
Hugo Chavez | 4.1 |
George W. Bush | 3.3 |
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad | 3.2 |
Hassan Nasrallah | 3.1 |
Kim Jong Il | 3.1 |
Source: Angus Reid Strategies / Maclean's
Methodology: Online interviews with 5,800 adults in Australia, Britain, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Turkey and the United States, conducted from Sept. 22 to Oct. 6, 2006.
