When Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke speaks, financial markets tremble. In recent weeks, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) has fallen hundreds of points in response to the new Chairman’s comments on the state of the economy.

Despite this outsized impact, the Fed Chairman is largely unknown to the public at large. Just 11% of Americans know enough about him to have a strong opinion one way or the other (6% very favorable, 5% very unfavorable). Another 36% voice some opinion about Bernanke (24% somewhat favorable, 12% somewhat unfavorable).

However, a majority (53%) have no opinion of Bernanke whatsoever. This includes 47% of America’s Investor Class (those with at least $5,000 worth of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds).

Adults under 30 are four times as likely as those over 65 to have strongly held views about Bernanke. But, the younger adults and their elders all remain divided fairly evenly in whether those strong opinions are favorable or unfavorable.

Rasmussen Reports has recently measured the favorability of many national political figures including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, the previous Secretary of the Treasury John Snow, the current Secretary of the Treasury Henry M. Paulson, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, former Congressional leader Tom DeLay and others.