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.
In choosing candidates for president, how important are the following things? The candidate’s...
| Registered voters who usually vote in Republican primaries | Registered voters who usually vote in Democratic primaries | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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
