Who makes better candidates — moms or dads? And more broadly, what impact do both the gender and parenting status of candidates have on their chances to win an election? An experimental online survey by the Pew Research Center suggests that the answer depends, in no small part, on whether you are a Republican or a Democrat. The study used four separate random samples of more than 500 registered voters each, for a total of 2300 voters overall. It was conducted before the selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as the Republican vice-presidential candidate.

CBS surveyed 798 people, including 712 registered voters. Most registered voters, men and women, think that Hillary Clinton’s candidacy will make it easier for other women to run in the future. A majority was glad to see a woman as a serious presidential contender, and most hoped and thought that they would see a woman president in their lifetime.

A CBS News poll of 1,067 voters finds that they see gender as more of a barrier in presidential politics than race. Thirty nine percent of registered voters said a woman faces more obstacles in a presidential race while 33 percent said a black candidate does.  42 percent of voters said they felt Senator Hillary Clinton has been treated more harshly because of her gender, while just 27 percent felt Senator Barack Obama has been treated more harshly because of his race.  Respondents say more people they know would be likely to vote for a black candidate than a woman. Fifty six percent said that “most people” they know would vote for a black candidate for president, while 46 percent said the same of a woman candidate. 45 percent said “most people” they know would not vote for a woman. At the same time, respondents also called racism (42 percent) a “more serious” problem than sexism (10%).

In a survey of 600 voters conducted August 14-16 for the Reno Gazette-Journal in the early primary state of Nevada, 71 percent said they thought Nevadans would vote for a qualified woman for president. By comparison, 69 percent thought people in the state would vote for a qualified Black candidate, and 65 percent said Nevadans would vote for a Mormon.

According to a Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International July 2-3, large majorities of Americans are willing to vote for either a woman or an African-American candidate for President. But when asked whether or not the country is ready to accept a black or female President, the numbers drop significantly. (This poll also includes “horse race” data for the 2008 Democratic primaries.)

Looking at five key traits of potential presidential candidates, a Gallup Poll with an aggregated sample of over 2,000 interviews conducted in two surveys (Feb. 9-11, 2007 and March 2-4, 2007), found that most Americans are comfortable voting for a black (84%) or a female (77%) candidate.

A poll of 1,000 adults taken for Newsweek in December 2006 found that 86 percent of respondents said that if their party nominated a woman for president, they would vote for her if she were qualified for the job. 55 percent said that America is ready to elect a woman president. 93 percent said they would vote for a qualified African-American candidate from their party, and 56 percent said the country is ready to elect an African-American president.

A September 2006 Gallup survey finds that about three fifths of Americans believe the country is ready to have a woman president. Similar proportions say that the country is ready for a black or Jewish president, but the numbers who think the country is ready for a Hispanic, Asian or Mormon president are somewhat lower, and far smaller numbers say the country would elect an atheist or gay or lesbian president.

According to a March 2006 Field Poll of California registered voters, 69% think the country is ready for a woman president, while 24% disagree.

According to a February 2006 CBS/New York Times Poll, 92% of Americans say they would vote for a qualified woman presidential candidate from their own political party. 55% of those polled think that the U.S. is ready to elect a woman president, up from 40% in 1996.