Poll: Majority of Women Do Not Feel Understood by Bush or Kerry

August 26, 2004
Poll: Majority of Women Do Not Feel Understood by Bush or Kerry

A survey conducted by Lifetime Television in July found that fewer than 10 percent of women feel that either President Bush or Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry understands them well. Broken down by candidate, 51 percent of the women polled said that Bush understands them not well or not at all, and 39 percent said the same about Kerry, reports KRON4.com. Women represent 60 percent of all undecided voters, according to Center for Media Research.

The gender gap--the difference in the way women and men vote--appears to be smaller in this election than it has been in the past. However, when undecided women were pushed to say for whom they would most likely vote, Kerry was favored by 12 percent, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Feminist Majority Foundation President Eleanor Smeal responded to the survey, saying “With over 60 percent of undecided voters being women, it’s shocking how little the campaigns are speaking to women’s issues.” The survey found that women are eager to hear more discussion from the candidates on issues such as violence against women, healthcare, pay equity between the sexes, and access to child care. Reproductive rights and freedom of choice were found to be particularly important issues for younger women aged 18-24, according to Reuters. Efforts to mobilize the young women’s vote are underway, specifically the Feminist Majority Foundation’s Get Out Her Vote campaign.

Today marks the anniversary of the ratification of the Constitution's 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote in 1920. On the whole, women have voted at a higher rate in recent elections, with 7.8 million more women than men voting in the 2000 presidential election, according to Reuters.

LEARN MORE about the Feminist Majority Foundation’s Get Out Her Vote campaign