Partisans Look For Similar Qualities In Their Candidates
by YouGov Staff in Economist/YouGov Poll and Politics
Republican voters and Democratic voters differ on many things, but they tend to agree on what they are looking for in a presidential candidate. In the latest Economist/YouGov Poll (Week of 1/21/2012), economic issue positions, intelligence, health care positions and experience rank at the top of the list for both sets of voters.
| Registered voters who usually vote in Republican primaries | Registered voters who usually vote in Democratic primaries | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Important | Not important | Important | Not important | |
| Religion | 13% | 57% | 17% | 47% |
| Race | 5% | 31% | 7% | 28% |
| Experience | 84% | 14% | 72% | 26% |
| Intelligence | 89% | 9% | 90% | 9% |
| Marital fidelity | 23% | 55% | 27% | 58% |
| Position on abortion | 48% | 41% | 37% | 51% |
| Position on health care | 81% | 18% | 82% | 17% |
| Position on economic issues | 94% | 4% | 91% | 8% |
What they say they care about much less are items like marital fidelity, religion, and race. Less than one in ten in each group say a candidate’s race matters, and less that one in five claim to care about a candidate’s religion. Fewer than a third of each party’s voters say marital fidelity is important to them.
However, there are some issues where party matters. Nearly half of GOP voters say a candidate’s position on abortion matters to them; just 37% of Democratic voters say it does. And Democratic voters are less likely than GOP voters to cite experience. Still, 72% of Democratic voters care about a candidate’s experience.
Economist/YouGov poll archives can found here.
Photo source: Press Association
