A poll conducted by The Daily Show and YouGov set out to determine who would have the best shot at becoming America’s next celebrity president. People were given the names of two randomized public figures in a series of head-to-head matchups and asked who they would rather make president of the United States.
Among both male and female respondents, Morgan Freeman comes out on top. Among American men, Freeman was chosen as the pick for president in 80 percent of the head-to-head matchups he faced. Among women, he receives similar marks, with 82 percent.
Denzel Washington also fares well with both women (78%) and men (74%). After that, the lists diverge. The number three pick for women is Judge Judy Sheindlin (75%), while it’s Samuel L. Jackson for men. The Rock (73%) and Tom Hanks (72%) take up the fourth and fifth spots for men. For women, Hanks (74%) is the number four pick and Jackson is number five (73%).
The list of top 10 celebrities is dominated by men, with one exception: Judge Judy Sheindlin, who comes in at number nine. In head-to-head matchups, Judge Judy was chosen as the preferred candidate 69 percent of the time.
Looking solely at the women on the list, the top five picks for a female celebrity president would be Judge Judy (69%), Dolly Parton (67%), Betty White (67%), Diane Sawyer (64%) and Jennifer Aniston (64%).
You can page or search through the table below to see where your favorite celebrities rank:
Methodology: The Daily Show/YouGov survey consisted of 2,586 panelists and ran between August 7 - 11. Every person was randomly assigned to see 30 celebrities, which appeared in 15 head-to-head matchups. For each, respondents were asked to indicate which of the celebrities in the head-to-head matchup they would prefer as the next to become president. For more information, see our methodology page and reach out to uspress@yougov.com. Or see the cross tabs here.
Images: Getty
