article Dolly Parton Is the Most Popular Person in America with Net Favorability of +65
https://consequence.net/2026/04/dolly-parton-is-the-most-popular-person-in-america-new-poll-finds/976
u/Robasaleh110 7h ago
sheās one of the few people almost everyone likes no matter their politics
567
u/Kevbot1000 6h ago
If you don't like Dolly Parton as a person, I simply don't trust you or your intentions. Plain and simple.
194
u/MrGosh13 6h ago edited 3h ago
I have no interest in her, musically (Jolene is supreme though), but she as a person has nothing but my utmost respect and admiration.
[edit] I would like to make it clear that I do not think she is in anyways not immensely musically gifted. Just that itās not the kind of music I listen to. I might have worded that weirdly, and I do apologize.
85
u/osmlol 6h ago
Come on man, Islands in the Stream with Kenny Roger's is a fucking banger.
12
10
u/LookOutItsLiuBei 6h ago
Tbh that song was written by the Bee Gees and yes it's one of the best pop songs ever.
7
→ More replies (2)4
61
u/all_hail_cthulhu DMB Concertgoer 6h ago
9 to 5 is her other big hit, but i highly recommend Baby I'm Burning. Great disco track.
37
11
u/JelliedHam 5h ago
You're only counting songs she recorded herself. She's the writer of countless hits for other musicians. She's written thousands of songs.
→ More replies (1)11
u/DoomCircus 5h ago
9 to 5 had an excellent use in the show The Orville, it was the song of the female Moclan revolution lol.
6
u/Yabba_Dabba_Doofus 5h ago
The female Moclan quoting Dolly to the Federation of Planets was peak comedy.
→ More replies (1)3
22
16
u/Quick-Difference3267 6h ago
She wrote a lot of songs too (Whitney Houstonās biggest hit for example).
19
5
→ More replies (1)3
8
u/darthjoey91 6h ago
She's also pretty good at acting. Like 9 to 5 was her biggest acting hit, but I think she's great in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
→ More replies (2)13
u/porksoda11 6h ago
Her really old stuff (Coat of Many Colors) is fantastic. It always reminded me of a female Bob Dylan with how she could tell a story with her music.
→ More replies (2)5
u/callmesixone Google Music 5h ago
My favorite Dolly Parton moment is when this teenager won a contest to be a part of some TV Q&A with her for his school newspaper and he asked what her advice to teens was.
Idk if it was pre planned or off the dome but her answer was āalways be ready for rain, bring your rubberā and the dudeās face went beet red
4
u/06_TBSS 3h ago
What if I told you that she wrote Jolene and I Will Always Love You on the same day?
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (1)3
u/Cleeq 4h ago
I completely understand the sentiment, but I feel like it goes under the radar how skilled musically she is. In 2022 she was invited into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but declined, citing her country background. She then took it upon herself to release a rock album, and calling it that, is selling it short. It has 39 tracks, with some of the greatest rock artists of all time. I feel anyone could find something there to like.
17
u/canman7373 5h ago
She's a big supporter of gay rights, so I think that's where just a very small minority hate could be coming from. Should watch her episodes with Graham Norton in Dollywood, they are fantastic. That's the only reason someone who separate's her from her music could hate on her for I guess, IDK, she has always been the greatest and "I will always lover you" Dolly.
→ More replies (1)4
u/thegrumpymechanic 4h ago
If someone has a problem with Dolly Parton, it's them. They're the problem.
→ More replies (18)6
u/Assfiend 6h ago
Genuinely I have mad respect for her as a person, even if I really don't like any of her music.
70
u/Raoul_Duke9 6h ago
Right? And like... who the fuck are the other 35 percent? Miserable assholes.
77
44
u/anurahyla 6h ago
Well its +65. Which means there's a 65% margin between favorable and unfavorable. So its more like 85% favorable to 10% unfavorable and 5% undecided
→ More replies (1)44
u/dnalloheoj 6h ago
The full study is attached to the tweet - 70% favorable, 5% unfavorable, 19% no opinion, 6% never heard of her.
Just clarifying the exact numbers because it only makes more and more sense the lower that unfavorable number gets, for Dolly.
15
u/StrategicCarry 6h ago
So of people who have an opinion, her net favorability is like 87%.
→ More replies (1)5
→ More replies (2)12
u/darthjoey91 6h ago
What rock is that 6% living under?
→ More replies (1)3
u/cigarettesandwhiskey 3h ago
The poll was only for 18-29 year olds. So, only 6% have never heard of a musician who's career peak was mostly before they were born.
→ More replies (1)49
u/NotJohnLithgow 6h ago
Maga.
Iām not kidding when I say this either. They have gone after her many times from her contributions towards prisons, schools, and more recently because she accepts trans people as people.
24
u/Peralton 6h ago
She donated to covid become research. Unforgivable for some of them.
13
u/newsfish 5h ago
"Vanderbilt? Here'e a million. Get going on that Moderna vaccine with everyone."
Then she received it on camera. Her blouse had strings at the shoulders so she didn't have to roll up a sleeve.
→ More replies (1)12
u/wufnu 5h ago
I remember when the guy that voiced Early Cuyler on Squidbillies called her a slut or something 'cause she was fine with Black Lives Matter. Dude got fired within fucking hours.
→ More replies (1)6
u/KuriboShoeMario 4h ago
Unknown Hinson and that fucking killed me because it was one of my favorite shows on TV. His VA work on it was outstanding(er-than-hell) and the characters were so well written for someone born and raised in the Appalachians who knows how those people act and speak and think. It was such goofy, fun animation and that dipshit ruined it.
16
u/reiji_tamashii 6h ago
And she gives books to kids. MAGA hates books.
→ More replies (1)7
u/Oprah_Pwnfrey 3h ago
She has given more than 300 million free books to kids. Absolutely mind blowing number. She isn't just a wonderful person, she's a wonder of the world.
→ More replies (1)5
u/spookieboogie666 1h ago
I signed my niece up for the books! She loves them and itās always a little bit of surprise and joy when it arrives!
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (1)3
→ More replies (10)5
u/film_composer 6h ago edited 6h ago
A favorability of +65 means that thereās a gap of 65% between those who like her and those who donāt, not that itās 65% that like her and 35% that donāt (that would be a favorability of +30). The article doesnāt give specifics, but if the polling is binary like/dislike, that would be 17.5% who dislike her compared to 82.5% who like her.Ā
→ More replies (1)56
u/complete_data75 6h ago
Not maga cult. She supports gays and non whites
50
u/NubbinSawyer 6h ago
The main voice actor in the adult cartoon "Squidbillies" was MAGA and after Dolly suggested that blacks and whites were the same he called her a "freak-titted old bitch". The speed in which he was cancelled was swift. He was replaced with Tracey Morgan in the show, LOL.
9
5
→ More replies (2)3
u/truelogictrust 5h ago
main voice actor in the adult cartoon "Squidbillies"
"forsaking your own race, culture, and heritage."[11]
So Squidbillies was a documentary
5
→ More replies (7)5
u/QuitBrowserGoOutside 4h ago
The MAGA folks are not terribly deep.
They see an older white lady from rural Tennessee, they figure she's one of them.
9
u/Fortestingporpoises 6h ago
She's a country singer, acted in wholesome mainstream films, owns an amusement park, and is a pretty white blonde lady with big breasts...so conservatives will like her.
Meanwhile she's also progressive, intelligent and charitable which makes her beloved by liberals. Throw in that she's not bigoted so minorities and the gays can also love her.
→ More replies (2)8
5
u/vinegarstrokes420 5h ago
All I know is that she actively does a lot of good for others, so I like her. Never listen to her music or even enjoy that genre and not even sure what else she's famous for... but that doesn't matter if she's a decent human. If other celebs and leaders followed her lead, we'd have a much better world.
→ More replies (52)3
u/Barmydoughnut24 6h ago
I can picture one person is probably upset theyre not the most popular American rn
390
u/Ab47203 6h ago
Didn't she drastically increase literacy rates in her home town just because she wanted to? Seems like a good use of fame money to me.
190
u/Fenrir_Carbon 6h ago
Iirc it wasn't just her home town and she's been doing it decades so she's helped probably 10's of 1000's of kids get a leg up
58
u/Ab47203 6h ago
I think it started as just her home town and then spread when it was wildly successful. Either way how often is stuff like this usually better than someone thinks? That lady is a damn good person.
78
u/Fenrir_Carbon 6h ago
Just looked it up, she gives away 850,000 books each month and gave away the 100 Millionth book in 2018.
She's an aspirational force for good.
49
u/Ab47203 6h ago
Some people just want to see the world learn.
16
u/Fenrir_Carbon 5h ago
The accumulated filth of all their sex and murder will foam up about their waists and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout 'SAVE US!'...and Dolly will look down and whisper 'Why, of course shuga, ah'd be de-lighted to help y'all'
3
u/ABadHistorian 2h ago
God. now I want Dolly in The Boys, just a last minute save to come in and smack both Homelander and Butcher down.
→ More replies (1)14
u/Totorotextbook 5h ago
Even crazier the site now shows theyāve gifted over 314,000,000 books as of right now.
3
6
u/brandonjohn5 4h ago
It's estimated she has donated over 500 million dollars through her various charities, the big one being the books. She would be a billionaire if it wasn't for her philanthropy. More billionaires should be like Dolly.
5
7
u/bolanrox 6h ago
it is available in every state now i believe
7
→ More replies (1)3
u/TheEpicTriforce 1h ago
And it's not a facade to push religion on kids either which is a major plus.
30
u/CyanoSpool 6h ago
We have been getting a book every month from her foundation for the past 5 years (our kid just turned 5 today!).Ā
6
u/Designed_To 6h ago
Same here! Some of her all time favorite books have come from the foundation, despite us owning tons of other books.
3
u/ABadHistorian 2h ago
That foundation under attack by Republicans now. .....
I hate this timeline. Can we go back to 1999, I need to convince my mom to vote Gore.
18
u/bolanrox 6h ago
yes because her father(?) was functionally illiterate and was embarrassed by it and she did not want it to be stigmatized.
5
u/_clur_510 4h ago edited 4h ago
I have so much respect for how open she is with her familyās struggle with adult illiteracy, specifically her father. He was a proud provider for his family, but humiliated by it and still raised one of the greatest American song writers in history. Not having access to childhood education is absolutely not something one should be ashamed of and her work to end the stigma is so admirable.
17
u/Totorotextbook 5h ago
She has a free program called the Dolly Parton Imagination Library that sheās run since 1995 that, if you register your child, will mail them a free childrenās book to keep each month up until a certain age. Dolly wanted to encourage literacy to all children and has donated over 300-million books, truly itās just one of the many charitable things sheās done.
11
u/bunnyzillaaa 6h ago
She gives an insane amount to charities of all different kinds. Sheās helped out with elderly care, COVID research, childrenās hospitals, literacy rates, disaster relief, animal welfare, female education, and so much more. The East Tennessee Childrenās Hospital in Knoxville even changed their name to Dolly Partonās Childrenās Hospital recently.
→ More replies (1)4
u/Dijkdoorn 3h ago
Makes you wonder where the Musk Hospital is. Or the Bezos Hospital.
3
u/TeaBoneJones 2h ago
Dolly is literally what weāre talking about when we say that billionaires shouldnāt exist. She would be a billionaire if not for all the philanthropy. But she thinks thatās too much money for one person to have and instead gives it to great causes, a lot of the time privately. She doesnāt do it for the clout, she does it because itās the right thing to do
→ More replies (1)8
u/TheMightyZan 5h ago
She also dramatically decreased dropout rates at her old highschool in the 90s, by offering students $500 if they graduated.
Took it from like 30% to 6%, and it's been about that since then ( I'm not sure of the most recent data)
I'm from her hometown, and she is a constant reminder that good things can come from there.
3
3
u/Fiigwort 5h ago
A bunch of my friends live and grew up near her hometown and the area was VASTLY improved by the amount of money and effort she put in there (including creating a ton of jobs with her themepark), I believe local literacy rates have also skyrocketed. She's utterly beloved there and it's absolutely warranted.
2
→ More replies (4)2
225
u/TheLadyEve 6h ago
Well yeah, because there's nothing to not love about her.
She's super Christian but in a positive way that demonstrates her willingness to live a good life and be good to others, you know, the way Jesus would want.
She's an incredibly gifted musician who writes and performs her own stuff.
She's pro-literacy.
She's beautiful.
She doesn't take herself too seriously and she acknowledges her mistakes!
We can all learn a lot from Dolly Parton. She can take a crappy movie and elevate it. The woman was able to make both Sylvester Stallone and James Woods likable. Any time she sings it's angelic and wonderful.
34
u/reedzkee 5h ago
shes the epitome of a star. some famous people make everything about them. a true star makes everyone in the room feel special too. their glow is infectious.
10
→ More replies (18)3
72
u/bryancald 6h ago
Who the hell doesn't like Dolly?
73
u/puremotives 5h ago
Jolene probably
→ More replies (1)16
17
→ More replies (9)3
u/thesilverpoets96 4h ago
I donāt dislike her but I have zero interest in her at all. Musically and personality wise. Iām the same way with Keanu Reeves. Anytime I see them in the news I usually just scroll right past it. Which is often
5
u/cajunjoel 4h ago
What about action-wise? What with that philanthropy and literacy and stuff? Can you appreciate that about her?
3
u/thesilverpoets96 3h ago
Oh yeah, I appreciate it for sure. I just think thereās other people who are as charitable as her that donāt get the limelight as much as she does. Sheās in the news like once a month. Although I guess Iād rather that than reading about the idiots and pedos in office right now
85
u/JoshDaws 6h ago
Just a reminder that Dolly Parton was basically called a hooker on late night tv for decades, despite being married to the same man for 50 years. She also did more to combat childrenās illiteracy in this country than anyone else. Youād catch hands if you shit talk Dolly to me.
→ More replies (2)22
u/OneWholeSoul 3h ago
She's basically Mrs. Rogers and their reaction whenever she walked in the proverbial room was "This hussy, again?"
74
u/JonBoy82 7h ago
Hopefully she will skip the reverse mortgage adds....Looking at you Tom Selleck!
16
→ More replies (3)13
u/davasaur 5h ago
Those guys are doing those commercials because they need the money while Dolly creates jobs in my area by just existing, they are not the same.
→ More replies (1)
25
u/Fenrir_Carbon 6h ago
She should be, she's been doing and saying good things for decades.
As an Atheist/Satanist the world would be a lot nicer if every Christian was as Christ-like as her.
61
u/Upstairs-Path5964 6h ago edited 3h ago
Watch her talk about Whitney Houston singing "I Will Always Love You". Humility, grace and a lovely sense of humor
Edit: I'm actually thinking of this clip from a JackƩe Harry Interview where she recalls a convo with Dolly.
34
u/AppendixN Indiehead 6h ago
If there were a Mt. Rushmore of Genuine Good People, it would be her, Mister Rogers, and I don't know who else, maybe LeVar Burton?
28
u/Fenrir_Carbon 6h ago
Bob Ross as 4th
8
u/bolanrox 6h ago
Bob ross tried to be good / better, be he did have a shit side.
Keanu? Gary Sinese? perhaps?
8
u/Mrchristopherrr 5h ago
Not so much a shit side, but he did love the mature ladies who took his classes
→ More replies (3)13
8
u/DustFunk 5h ago
my boy (not really, but I did meet and chat with him once, great dude) LeVar would be honored just to be in the running! I feel like there are probably quite a few stealth Genuinely Good People who belong on a Mt. Rushmore, but the public doesn't really know, because a genuinely good person might not broadcast it as much.
6
→ More replies (5)6
u/sweetbayy 6h ago
Dolly, bob ross, mr rogers, and keanu are probably the most known for being universally likable celebrities as people
→ More replies (1)
15
u/sallad2009 6h ago
I was at Dollywood yesterday. She is so loved!!!
2
u/TedTheGreek_Atheos 2h ago
I was there from Sunday to Wednesday! Stayed at HeartSong. The park has some amazing roller coasters. Mystery Mine, Big Bear mountain and Dragonflier were my favorites. I didn't dare try Wild Eagle lol.
→ More replies (2)
51
u/Eldar_Atog 7h ago
There are 35 percent that don't favor her?
→ More replies (12)89
u/smor729 7h ago edited 6h ago
Net favorability of +65 means that the percentage of people who had favorable opinion minus percentage of people with unfavorable opinion was 65% of the sample surveyed. The actual numbers were 70% favorable opinion, only 5% unfavorable, 19% no opinion, and 6% never heard of her.
70
u/DocJanItor 6h ago
17% of people are named Jolene
→ More replies (1)26
u/NIN10DOXD 6h ago
Fuck Jolene. All my homies hate Jolene.
→ More replies (1)13
u/l00pee 6h ago
Heard she was hot though.
6
u/Poggystyle 6h ago
She must have been the hottest woman alive because prime dolly was something else.
5
6
u/TheDadThatGrills 6h ago
This interaction was great at showing how people can interpret the same opinion poll or statistic in wildly different ways.
4
→ More replies (16)5
19
u/lucasluminaro 6h ago
When a billionaire is only a millionaire because of how much they give away; that is an example of what all of them should be doing. Unfortunately we have a bunch of treasure hoarding dragons running the world and not only do they hoarde but they actually WANT MORE!
26
8
u/Ok_Mammoth5292 6h ago
My favorite Dolly moment is when Larry King asked her if she was familiar with the jokes people tell about her.
She says "Yeah want to hear my favorite one? Why are Dolly Parton's feet so small? They don't grow in the shade!" Giggle giggle giggle
5
5
4
u/CrustyBatchOfNature 5h ago
For the record, on the question about Dolly Parton.
75% Favorable
5% Unfavorable
19% No Opinion
6% Never Heard of Her
17% of those 18-29 have not heard of her and 22% have no opinion.
9% of those 30-44 have not heard of her and 24% have no opinion and a further 10% are Unfavorable towards her.
Funny enough, Democrats (78%) like her better than Republicans (73%) but those who say they are Conservative (76%) like her more than those who say they are Liberal (75%) and Moderates only hold a 67% favorable rating. Just proves you can't trust people in the middle.
Independents are insane with 57% Favorable and 13% Unfavorable.
4
5
3
u/ChicagoLarry 6h ago
What the heāll is wrong with that 35%?? Like what is their fkn problem?
2
u/TedTheGreek_Atheos 2h ago
A third of the population are just straight up haters. Like the type of people that prefer to focus on things they hate instead of things they like.
3
u/Romanscott618 6h ago
But fr, who doesnāt like Dolly? I donāt trust anyone that says they donāt like her lol
3
3
u/BChurchmountain 6h ago
Sheās a gem and she constantly gives back to her community. Thereās not many selfless celebrities quite like Dolly!
3
3
u/JMNComposer 5h ago
It literally scared me to see her name and picture on the front page. Protect St. Dolly at all costs!!
3
u/MeaninglessCollie 5h ago
I saw Dolly a few weeks ago. It took everything I had not to go say hello.
3
3
u/After-Dentist-2480 4h ago
Some exceptionally rich people use their wealth to improve the lives of those who have very little.
Others use it to engage in massive dick-swinging contests and narcissistic self-aggrandisement.
In a world of Musk, Trump, Bezos, Zuckerberg and many more, Dolly shows us that talent, wealth and humility are not mutually exclusive. God bless her.
3
8
u/PhoenixFilms 6h ago
Sheās a national treasure. Sheās socially open to the viewpoints of left leaning people, and country enough and rich enough to appeal to the mouth breathers.
→ More replies (1)
5
4
u/hockenduke 6h ago
Go roll some 70ās Dolly album deep cuts. Sheās still be one of the best singer/songwriters of all time.
2
u/quickwitqueen 6h ago
Dolly is one of the few celebrities that Iād genuinely love to just sit and have brunch with.
→ More replies (1)
2
2
u/aluke000 6h ago
Here's a link to the survey this was taken from. It's indexed with opinions of popular people on page 3.
https://www.uml.edu/docs/2026-Nat-Pol-March-Topline_tcm18-417813.pdf
2
u/SymbiSpidey 6h ago
Dolly Parton is one of the few celebrities with absolutely no haters
→ More replies (1)
2
2
u/RunDNA 6h ago
The people included in the poll:
| Name | Rating |
|---|---|
| Dolly Parton | +65 |
| Barack Obama | +14 |
| Volodymyr Zelenskyy | +13 |
| Bernie Sanders | +6 |
| George W. Bush | +5 |
| Taylor Swift | +3 |
| Chris Murphy | -1 |
| Marco Rubio | -3 |
| Robert F. Kennedy, Jr | -5 |
| Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez | -6 |
| John Thune | -8 |
| Taylor Frankie Paul | -10 |
| JD Vance | -10 |
| Mike Johnson | -13 |
| Gavin Newsom | -14 |
| Elon Musk | -16 |
| Donald Trump | -18 |
| Joe Biden | -19 |
| Kamala Harris | -19 |
| Benjamin Netanyahu | -19 |
| Tucker Carlson | -21 |
| Mark Zuckerberg | -43 |
| Vladimir Putin | -65 |
7
→ More replies (3)6
2
u/PuzzleheadedClock134 5h ago
We all love Dolly. She did a duet with Rob Halford. One of my favorite songs of all time.
→ More replies (1)
2
u/What_a_fat_one 5h ago
If you got a problem with Dolly then you got a problem with me and I suggest you let that one marinate
→ More replies (1)
1.5k
u/MuptonBossman 7h ago
Dolly Parton is a national treasure... It helps that she seems like a genuinely sweet person as well.