Sarah Palin Named Most Desirable Celebrity Neighbor for 2009

RISMEDIA, Dec. 31, 2008-December 2008 survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults reveals which pop culture celebrities and politicians Americans think would make the most appealing neighbors, and who isn’t welcome anywhere near the backyard.

U.S. adults would most like to be neighbors with Sarah Palin (14%), followed closely by Oprah Winfrey (13%), according to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive(R) and commissioned by real estate website Zillow.com. Retirees (26%) and residents in the South (19%) disproportionately favor Palin as the most desirable neighbor. Paparazzi magnets apparently don’t make the best neighbors, as only 2% of U.S. adults would like to be neighbors with David and Victoria “Posh” Beckham in the coming year.

It also seems age and gender play a prominent role in neighbor preferences:

Among adult men, Sarah Palin is the most desired neighbor (17%), while 17% of adult women said that Oprah Winfrey was the most desired neighbor, ahead of Palin (12%).

Among 18-34 year old men, Michael Phelps tops the list as the most desirable neighbor (17%). In comparison, only 9% of 18-34 year old women thought the gold medal Olympian would make a desirable neighbor.

The gender gap reveals that among 45-54 year old women; 21% voted for Oprah, compared to only 6% of their male counterparts.

Worst Neighbors of 2008

Britney Spears, the trouble-prone pop star, was voted the worst celebrity neighbor in 2008, according to one in five (19%) U.S. adults. However, Spears’ reputation has improved over the past 12 months. In 2007, 21% voted Britney the worst neighbor. Rosie O’Donnell was a close second in 2008, with 18% of the votes, compared to 14% in 2007. Rounding out the top 5 worst list is Joe the Plumber (8%) Lindsay Lohan (7%) and Adam “Pacman” Jones (6%).

See the table below for notable variances in results among 18-34 year olds.