Harris Interactive

Times are tough, people are looking for hope. They must be hoping pretty hard.

In a new Harris poll, our new President, Barack Obama, topped the list of people respondents said they admired enough to call heroes. Jesus Christ came in second, with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in third. According to a MarketWatch report, "Others in the top ten, in descending order, were Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Abraham Lincoln, John McCain, John F. Kennedy, Chesley Sullenberger and Mother Teresa."

Other interesting information about the new poll and polls past: 

The biggest changes upwards on this list into the top ten since 2001, apart from Barack Obama, who was not mentioned then, are:

-- George W. Bush was rated only 19th in July 2001, when he had been president for six months, and who is now number 5 on the list.

-- John McCain, who was not in the top 20 in 2001, is now number 7.

-- Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot who landed his jet safely in the Hudson River, who is ranked number 9.

Heroes who were in the top 10 in 2001 who have fallen sharply this year include:

-- Colin Powell who was number 3 and is now number 16.

-- John Wayne who was number 8 and has dropped out of the top 20.

-- Michael Jordan who was number 9 and is no longer in the top 20.

-- Mother Teresa who was number 5 and is now number 10.

What Makes a Hero?

The public gives multiple reasons to explain their choice of heroes. Those mentioned most often include:

-- "Doing what's right regardless of personal consequences" (89%);

-- "Not giving up until the goal is accomplished" (83%)

-- "Doing more than what other people expect of them" (82%)

-- "Overcoming adversity" (81%), and

-- "Staying level-headed in a crisis" (81%).

Some Former Heroes No Longer Considered Heroes

When asked to name people who used to be their heroes but who they no longer consider as heroes, the people mentioned most often are Colin Powell, George W. Bush, John McCain, Bill Clinton and John F. Kennedy. In 2001, Bill Clinton topped this list.

So What? A Few Observations and Comments

-- The fact that President Obama is mentioned more often than Jesus Christ should not be misinterpreted. No list was used and nobody was asked to choose between them.

-- It is noteworthy that the top ten include six dead heroes (including Jesus Christ and Martin Luther King) and four live ones.

-- The top 10 list includes five presidents. The top 20 includes eight.

-- Hillary Clinton, now Secretary of State, ranks higher on the list (#12) than her husband President Bill Clinton (#16).

Methodology

This Harris Poll(R) was conducted online within the United States between January 12 and 19, 2009, among 2,634 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online. Full data tables and methodology are available at www.harrisinteractive.com.