Sometimes seeing a politician cry can soften the public, too. Speaker of the House John Boehner is known for weeping in public. In the last week he did so on 60 Minutes, and when accepting the Speaker's gavel. He also responded to this Saturday's Arizona shooting attacks by postponing legislative activity for a week, and addressing the shooting while this Economist/YouGov poll was in the field. In the last week, opinions of Boehner have improved. 33% of Americans have a favorable opinion of him, up from 27% last week; 27% are now unfavorable, down from 33% last week.
Two out of three Americans say that seeing a politician cry would have no impact on their opinions of them; only 8% say it would make them feel less favorably towards the person (nearly twice as many, 14%, say it would make them feel more favorably towards them).
Is it acceptable for the following types of people to cry in public?
| Yes | No | Not sure | |
|---|---|---|---|
Male politicians | 69% | 18% | 13% |
Female politicians | 72% | 15% | 13% |
The Speaker of the House of Representatives | 67% | 19% | 14% |
The President of the United States | 65% | 21% | 14% |
Men in general | 76% | 13% | 11% |
Women in general | 84% | 6% | 9% |
In fact, majorities find it acceptable for many people to cry in public: by 67% to 19%, they say it's okay for the House Speaker to cry; by 65% to 21%, they say it's acceptable for the President to do so. And the public makes almost no distinction on this question between male and female politicians. As for non-politicians, 76% say it's acceptable for men to cry in public; even more, 84%, say that about women.
Men are less likely than women to say it's acceptable to cry in public --- with one exception. More men than women find it acceptable for women to cry in public. As many men as women say crying is acceptable for women politicians.
Americans want their political leaders to be strong, dedicated and emotionally stable. It's less important for male leaders to be ``manly'' or for female leaders to be "feminine." 65% would like their leaders to be "in touch" with their feelings.
When considering how you evaluate politicians, how important is it that the person is...
| Very important | Somewhat important | Not very important | Not at all important | Not sure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Strong | 64% | 24% | 5% | 3% | 4% |
Manly (if male) | 17% | 21% | 28% | 31% | 5% |
Feminine (if female) | 14% | 19% | 28% | 33% | 5% |
In touch with their feelings | 31% | 34% | 19% | 10% | 6% |
Dedicated | 85% | 9% | 1% | 1% | 4% |
Emotionally stable | 81% | 11% | 2% | 2% | 4% |
