A Woman President?

Presidential Gender Watch 2016 has compiled polling data on the general question of how Americans feel about a woman as a presidential candidate. We will update this list when and if new polls are published.

April 2015 NBC News/Wall Street Journal Survey

In an April 2015 poll, NBC News/Wall Street Journal ask for respondents’ enthusiasm about and comfort with multiple types of people who might run for president. The poll varies potential candidate identity by gender, sexuality, race/ethnicity, age, religion, experience, education, and background. Thirty percent of respondents report being enthusiastic about a woman president, with 55% more of respondents saying they would be comfortable with a woman president. Nine percent of respondents have some reservations with a woman candidate, and five percent say they are uncomfortable with a woman in the White House.

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April 2015 Shriver Report Poll

A Hart Research Associates poll conducted for the Shriver Report explores the role of American men, but includes questions about respondents’ comfort with a woman president. The poll finds that 64% percent of men say they’d be somewhat or very comfortable with the idea of a woman president. The men most likely to be comfortable with the idea of a woman president include African American men (77%), Hispanic men (72%), and men with a college degree or higher (74%). Just 41% of men between 18 and 29 years old say they’d be “very comfortable” with a female – the lowest percentage of any age group. The data were based on an online survey of 813 men from April 10-13.

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March 2015 YouGov Poll

YouGov’s latest poll explores whether Americans are ready for a woman president, including analysis of respondents’ hope for and expectation of a woman president in their lifetime. It finds 67% of the public believes the country is ready for a woman president; 61% hope that there will be a woman president in their lifetime; and 66% believe the U.S. will elect a woman president in their lifetime. YouGov reports these data by gender, age, race, region, party identification, ideology, and family income.

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May 2014 Pew Poll

Pew’s latest polls evaluates whether certain characteristics or identities of presidential candidates influence voter support. They find 71% of the public say it would not matter if a presidential candidate is a woman; 19% say they would be more likely to vote for a female candidate, while 9% would be less likely. Pew reports these data by gender and ideology of survey respondents.

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Spring 2015 Her Campus Survey

Her Campus conducted a survey of 3,135 college women age 17-23 representing all regions of the United States, posing questions about feminism, women in politics, and women in the workforce. They asked young women about their likelihood of voting for a woman candidate, prioritization of having a female president, and perceptions of whether or not the U.S. would have a woman president in the next 20 years.

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March 2014 Gallup Poll

In anticipating a bid for the presidency by Hillary Clinton, Gallup surveyed Americans about the positives associated with a Clinton presidency. They found that Americans were more likely to mention her being the first woman president than any other positive factor, indicating that the historic nature of her bid is a “unique selling proposition.”

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January 2014 Rasmussen Reports Poll

Rasmussen Reports polls likely U.S. Voters on the likelihood that a woman will be elected president in the next 10 years, finding voters are more likely to expect a woman president now than they did in 2006.

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April 2013 Anzalone Liszt Grove Poll

In a poll done for EMILY’s List’s Madam President campaign, Anzalone Liszt asked voters in battleground states about their willingness to vote for a woman president and their perceptions on whether or not the country was ready to elect a woman president. They include findings about voters’ perceptions of the potential impact of having a woman in the Oval Office on policy, process, and partisanship. They also ask whether or not having a woman on the presidential ticket would enhance respondents’ political engagement in 2016.

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June 2012 Gallup Poll

Looking at race, religion, and gender of potential presidential candidates, a Gallup Poll conducted in June 2012 found that most Americans are comfortable voting for a female candidate. They report findings by respondent party and age, finding slightly less (but still overwhelming) likelihood of voting for a female president by older voters (65+) and Republicans.

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November 2008 Lifetime Networks Poll

As part of its nonpartisan Every Woman Counts campaign to engage women in the political process, Lifetime Networks today announced the results of a national poll of women conducted by Republican pollster Kellyanne Conway of WomanTrend and Democratic pollster Celinda Lake of Lake Research Partners. The poll, the fifth in the series of Lifetime surveys of women this year, provides an in-depth look at women’s reactions to historic presidential election, their agenda for new leaders and the future of female candidates.

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