A new survey has found that almost a third of young women identify primarily as 'feminist' .

Which is great news, obviously. And the statistic is said to be thanks to gender equality campaigner Emma Watson, who has just been selected as the 'most inspiring celebrity' out of a list of 43 A-listerers including Ariana Grande, Beyoncé and Zayn Malik.

The study of 1,000 teenagers conducted by ICM for the National Citizen Service found that 'feminist' is now the most popular description for women (29 per cent), more so than 'bookworm' (19 per cent) or 'sporty' (10 per cent).

Many volunteers who took part in the survey revealed the Harry Potter actress was one of their most influential role models when it came to feminism, telling researchers they admired her for 'using her fame' to champion gender equality.

Emma Watson | ELLE UKpinterest
Getty Images

One respondent admitted: 'She uses the power and fame she gained from the Harry Potter series to speak about important issues like feminism.'

Another replied: 'She's a big feminist. She frequently speaks out on sexism and other discrimination issues such as racism and homophobia, and what she says really inspires me.'

NCS marketing director Natasha Kizzie said in a press release: 'The rise of internet feminism and increasingly politically engaged youth has brought these issues to the forefront of the news agenda, and the "Emma Watson effect": has done brilliant things for the cause.

'She inspires young people to never limit their expectations of what they can achieve on the basis on their gender. I am heartened by our findings, and I hope this increasing empowerment of young people continues,' she added.

instagramView full post on Instagram

The 27-year-old actress has spent several years working with the HeForShe campaign - a solidarity initiative started by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.

She has also spoken tirelessly about the role of women in society, championing her Disney character Belle in Beauty and the Beast as an independent feminist in a somewhat regressive fairytale.

Earlier this year, she even received Gloria Steinem's seal of approval for the famous fictional role, and participated in the Women's March on Washington.

The NCS study also found that LGBT teens were more than three times as likely to pick the label 'feminist' than heterosexual teens (40 per cent compared to 13 per cent).

Meanwhile, just 5 per cent of teenage boys who took part in the study chose the label 'feminist', with many participants choosing the terms 'gamer' (39 per cent) and 'intellectual' (25 per cent), instead.

At this point, we look to Gal Gadot recent comments on the subject of feminism: 'Whoever is not a feminist, is a sexist'.

Remember that, people.

Headshot of Katie O'Malley
Katie O'Malley
Site Director

Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.