Voters Are Ready for a Woman President—We Just Don’t Know We Are

If we set aside outdated notions of what it means to be “presidential” and “electable,” new research from LeanIn.Org shows the women and men frontrunners would be neck and neck in the Democratic primary

News provided by

LeanIn.Org

Sep 12, 2019, 09:03 ET

Palo Alto, CA - Today, in advance of the third presidential debate, LeanIn.Org is releasing research that shows voters are ready for a woman president. We just need to set aside the false belief that America isn’t ready and outdated notions of what it means to be “presidential” and “electable.”

“It’s vital that we understand how biased thinking affects elections, so we can correct for it,” said Sheryl Sandberg, the founder of LeanIn.Org and COO of Facebook. “When we dismiss women because of misguided ideas about whether they’re electable or presidential enough, we miss what really matters – their ideas and experience.”

According to findings from a nationally representative survey of 2,052 registered voters including Democrats, Republicans and Independents, voters vastly underestimate how ready America is for a woman president. Fifty-three percent of voters say they are “very ready” or “extremely ready” for a woman president. Yet only 16% of voters think most Americans share the same enthusiasm.

Moreover, two main predictors of whether Democratic and Independent voters plan to vote for a woman or man running for the Democratic nomination are how presidential and electable they perceive the candidates to be. And almost half of these voters think that the men are more presidential and electable, while less than 15% rate the women higher on these traits.

The research also takes a closer look at the factors that lead voters to think the men candidates are more presidential and electable—ideas rooted in stereotypes that tend to favor men and disadvantage women:

● The likeability effect: Democratic and Independent voters are more likely to think candidates are presidential and electable if they see them as likeable—and voters think the men in the race are more likeable than the women. In fact, “likeability” is the attribute that most strongly predicts whether a candidate is viewed as presidential as well as electable.

● What presidential has always looked like: Since all of our U.S. presidents have been men, it may be harder for voters to see a woman as presidential—and therefore harder to believe that a woman can win.

● The electability conundrum: One of the main reasons voters say it will be harder for a woman to win in 2020 is because they don’t think Americans are ready to elect a woman president. This false belief may also influence how people vote: The less ready Democratic and Independent voters think other Americans are, the less likely they are to choose a woman as their top candidate.

But there is strong evidence that we can level the playing field. When voters realize that other Americans are ready for a woman president, they are far more enthusiastic about voting for a woman. And according to LeanIn.Org’s analysis, if men and women were seen as equally “presidential” and “electable,” the women and men frontrunners would be neck and neck in the Democratic primary.

“Elections should be about who’s right for the job. Period,” says Rachel Thomas, LeanIn.Org co-founder and CEO. “This research matters because it emphasizes something everyone should be thinking about: how to make our elections fair for all candidates.”

In tandem with this research, LeanIn.Org is releasing a tool to help voters challenge biased reactions to women candidates, titled “Hear That? Say This.” For example, when someone hears a comment like “she seems aggressive,” they can ask, “Would you feel the same if a man did that?” Research shows prompting someone to reflect on how they feel about a woman versus a man doing the same thing can highlight biased thinking. The free tool is available at leanin.org/fightbias2020.

Key findings from LeanIn.Org’s research on the 2020 presidential race:

Readiness for a woman president:

● Across all demographic groups, 53% of voters say they are personally “very” or “extremely” ready for a woman president. Yet only 16% of voters believe most Americans are “very” or “extremely” ready.

● Democrats are the most ready for a woman president (78% say they are “very ready” or “extremely ready”), followed by Independents (51%) and Republicans (23%).

● Black voters are the most ready for a woman president (64% say they are “very ready” or “extremely ready”), followed by Latinx voters (56%) and white voters (50%). Black women are the most ready (70%), and white men are the least ready (48%).

● One of the main reasons voters say it will be harder for a woman to win in 2020 is because they don’t think Americans are ready for a woman president. But voters are getting it wrong: Americans are ready.

The impact of “presidential” and “electable”:

● Two of the biggest predictors of whether Democratic and Independent voters intend to vote for a man or a woman in the Democratic primary are how presidential they think the candidates are and how electable they think they are.

● Almost half of Democratic and Independent voters think the men vying for the Democratic nomination are more presidential and electable. And very few of these voters see it the other way—less than 15% rate the women candidates higher on these traits.

● Based on a hypothetical model, if we close the gaps between how “presidential” and “electable” voters perceive the men and women vying for the Democratic nomination to be, the outcome changes substantially: Democratic and Independent voters go from being more likely to vote for the men to about as likely to vote for the women and men frontrunners in the race.

How hard will it be for different candidates to win:

● A third of voters think it will be harder for a person of color to win the presidential election in 2020 (33%).

● Close to half of voters think it will be harder for a woman to win (44%).

● More than half of voters think it will be harder for a gay candidate to win (52%).

About the study

LeanIn.Org surveyed 2,052 registered Democratic, Republican and Independent voters using the Ipsos KnowledgePanel. The survey was conducted in English and Spanish from August 7 to 12, 2019 and uses a probability sample of registered voters in the United States, which is considered the “gold standard” in survey research. For more information on the methodology, visit leanin.org/2020research.

About LeanIn.Org

An initiative of the Sheryl Sandberg & Dave Goldberg Family Foundation, LeanIn.Org works to help women achieve their ambitions and create a more equal world. LeanIn.Org offers inspiration and support through an online community, free education materials, and Lean In Circles, small groups of peers who meet regularly to learn and grow together. The Lean In community includes more than 2 million women and men and 44,000 Lean In Circles in 172 countries. The Sheryl Sandberg & Dave Goldberg Family Foundation, which also runs OptionB.Org, is a private operating nonprofit organization under IRS section 501(c)(3).

About the Ipsos KnowledgePanel®

This survey was conducted using the web-enabled KnowledgePanel®, a probability-based panel designed to be representative of the U.S. population. Initially, participants are chosen scientifically by a random selection of telephone numbers and residential addresses. Persons in selected households are then invited by telephone or by mail to participate in the web-enabled KnowledgePanel. For those who agree to participate, but do not already have internet access, Ipsos provides a laptop/netbook and ISP connection at no cost. People who already have computers and Internet service are permitted to participate using their own equipment. Panelists then receive unique log-in information for accessing surveys online, and are sent emails throughout each month inviting them to participate in research.

Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. For more information, visit www.ipsos.com/en-us.

Contact: Beth Parker, chief communications officer—[email protected]

SOURCE LeanIn.Org