Political campaigners such as Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King are more admired than celebrities who try to raise awareness of world issues, a poll found today.
The former South African president, who spent 27 years in prison for his opposition to apartheid, topped a survey of respected campaigners conducted by charity Christian Aid.
One fifth of people asked said he was the campaigner they most admired.
Civil rights leader Martin Luther King and suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst came second and third in the poll of nearly 2,000 British adults, with 14% and 12% each of the vote.
They left celebrity campaigners like U2's Bono, Bob Geldof and Angelina Jolie trailing.
Just 2% of people said they admired Angelina Jolie for her humanitarian work with refugees, and only 6% expressed respect for Live Aid founder Bob Geldof.
Britons were asked about the campaigner they most admired and what causes mattered to them most in a survey carried out for the charity by pollsters YouGov.
The charity said their findings showed "people are more impressed by a deeply serious campaigner."
Christian Aid's campaign manager Rhian Beynon said: "We wanted to find out who people in the UK most admired when it came to campaigning.
"The results were fascinating. For us it is very interesting that people are less impressed by celebrities, than someone who stood his ground over a long time.
"Nelson Mandela set an example as an individual who made a difference."
Recent years have seen a rash of celebrities becoming involved in charity campaigns.
In 1999, Spice Girl Geri Halliwell became a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and has visited the Philippines, Rio de Janeiro and Zambia on fact finding and awareness raising trips.
Claudia Schiffer, Jemima Khan and Ewan McGregor have also all acted as ambassadors for Unicef.
And Hollywood stars George Clooney and Mia Farrow have made visits to the war-torn Darfur region of Sudan.
But Christian Aid said that celebrities who crusade against poverty, disease and suffering should not give up just yet.
"Celebrities can help by lifting the profile of an issue," Ms Beynon said.
"It's really valuable and good for the younger generation to see young campaigners. We're trying to encourage all sorts of individuals to get out there and campaign.
"We can't all be Nelson Mandela, but we can all make a difference in our own way."
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