US ready for a female president, poll suggests

Americans are finally ready to accept a female president, particularly if she happens to be a Catholic, according to the results of a recent survey.

The Gallup poll found that women were the second-most widely supported non-traditional demographic among US adults, with 92% saying they would be happy to vote for a female candidate in the 2016 presidential election.

Hillary Clinton is currently the leading Democratic candidate ahead of next year's party conventions, when parties select their presidential candidates, and holds a 34 percentage point lead over her nearest rival, Bernie Sanders.

At present, the only other female presidential candidate is Carly Fiorina, a former chief executive of Hewlett Packard, who is currently 12th in the long list of Republican candidates with around 2% of support.

Catholics were found to be the most-widely supported demographic, with 93% support among US adults. John F Kennedy remains the only US president to have been a Roman Catholic.

The poll was commissioned to assess how much support different non-traditional demographics - such as women, gay or lesbian candidates, and atheists - would garner from voters of varying religious affiliations.

In terms of support for a female candidate, there was little divergence among voters from different religious affiliations. 95% of non-religious voters said they would vote for a female candidate, followed by 94% of Catholics and 91% of Protestants.

Gallup have carried out similar polls at periodic intervals since 1937, when only one-third of those polled said they would back a female candidate.

This means that, in the past 78 years, the likelihood of supporting a female candidate has increased by 59 percentage points.

The poll also found that 60% of US adults would happily vote for a Muslim candidate, though that figure dropped to 44% among Protestants. Affiliates of various forms of Protestant Christianity, including Evangelical churches, make up 46.5% of the US population, the largest single religious demographic in the country.

Opponents of Barack Obama have regularly said the he is a Muslim, despite Obama swearing his presidential oath on the Bible and describing himself as a "Christian by choice". Current Republican candidate Donald Trump has suggested Obama may be a Muslim and called on the president to release his birth certificate.

A 2010 Pew survey found that almost one in five US citizens believed Obama to be a Muslim and that that belief was linked to disapproval of Obama's political performance.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Conor is a staff writer for Newsweek covering Africa, with a focus on Nigeria, security and conflict.

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