Stem4, a charity that promotes positive mental health in teenagers and young adults, recently conducted a survey with 1,023 participants between the ages of 13 and 25 to find out who has earned the most respect from the young population.
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Monarchs take the lead
The poll had several categories, including most respected public figure, and the Queen stole the number one position with 26% of the votes. But, the Duke and Duchess of Sussexfollowed closely behind with 21%, while Prince William and Kate Middleton got 11%. For the same category, Bill Gates got 17% of the votes, while Boris Johnson followed with 14%.
The charity stated that the reason why participants voted for these figures was because ‘they are brave and resilient, and even when things go wrong and they are criticised, they carry on.’ They added:
They stand up for people’s rights and make society a better place.
What does it mean to be respectable?
The highest votes, in all categories, went to the legendary David Attenborough, who wiped out his competitors taking 54% of the votes in the 'inspiring figure' category.
The founder of stem4, Dr. Nihara Krause said that nowadays earning the respect of a young person is no longer about fortune or looks. She said:
It’s far more important that you show bravery, resilience, and compassion for others and for nature.
She added that people like Billie Eilish and Prince Harry are admired by the youth because they’ve been open about their own experiences with mental health. She continued:
It’s also significant that many of the most admired famous people are those, like Billie Eilish and Prince Harry, who have been open about their own mental health challenges.
Problems like anxiety, depression and self-harm are sadly very common among young people and it makes a huge difference to them when public figures have the courage to open up.
