Most like female candidates’ surge
Republican men buck trend in new Pew poll
A majority of Americans are happy to see an increase in the number of women running for elected office, although only a third of Republican men say it’s a good thing, according to a poll released this week.
The Pew Research Center said that overall, 61 percent of adults surveyed told Pew they thought it was a good thing that more women are running for Congress. Another third said it was neither good nor bad, while only 5 percent said it was a bad thing.
Wednesday’s new survey comes as record numbers of women vie for office.
Women were more enthusiastic about the trend, with 68 percent saying it’s a good thing. Among men, 54 percent said it’s a positive shift.
That support drops among those leaning conservative, however, with 34 percent of Republican or Republican-leaning men and 45 percent of women calling it a good thing. A little more than one in 10 conservatives called it a bad thing.
Female candidates were much more popular among Democrats, with 75 percent of liberal-leaning men and 83 percent of liberal women calling it a good thing. (Pew points out that more of the female candidates are running as Democrats than Republicans.)
There was a rise in the number of Americans who wish to see a female president in their lifetime, Pew found. In 2014, 38 percent of Americans said “yes” when asked, “Do you personally hope the United States will elect a female in your lifetime?” Four years later, the number was 45 percent.
But politics again plays a significant role in attitudes, with just 24 percent of conservatives saying they hope to see a female president (up from 23 percent in 2014). But if the woman were a Republican, 47 percent of conservatives said that would be a good thing.
A majority of respondents also rejected stereotypes about female politicians being naturally equipped to restore civility and transparency in Congress, with most saying that “the number of women doesn’t have much to do with this.” The survey has a margin of error of 2.4 points.