Powell's supporters claim that he contributed to the Conservatives' surprise victory at the 1970 general election, which showed a late surge in Conservative support. In "exhaustive research" on the election, the American pollster Douglas Schoen and University of Oxford academic R. W. Johnson believed it "beyond dispute" that Powell had attracted 2.5 million votes to the Conservatives, but the Conservative vote had increased by only 1.7 million since 1966. A February 1969 Gallup poll showed Powell the "most admired person" in British public opinion. A "Daily Express" poll in 1972 showed Powell being the most popular politician in the country.