The CareerBuilder survey described George Bailey as “well-liked, always willing to help others.”
Other characters chosen by respondents included:
- Rudolph from “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” (14%) – Can navigate successfully through tough situations;
- Willie, the main character from “Bad Santa” (10%) – Rough around the edges, but not a bad person deep down;
- Ralphie from “A Christmas Story” (8%) – Stays focused on one goal and thinks about nothing else;
- Kevin from “Home Alone” (8%) – Very resourceful and independent;
- Ralphie’s father from “A Christmas Story” (8%) – Old school, swears a lot when things don’t go as planned;
- The Grinch from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (7%) – Keeps a distance from others, but longs to be a part of the group;
- Clark Griswald from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (7%) – Likeable, but nothing seems to go right for him or her;
- Santa from “Miracle on 34th Street” (6%) – Jolly no matter the circumstance; and
- Buddy from “Elf” (5%) – Naive and easily awed.
The survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder among 4,721 U.S. workers (employed full-time, not self-employed, government and non-government) between August 16 and September 8, 2011.