Nearly half of women prefer being treated by a female doctor

Jamie BallardData Journalist
August 21, 2018, 2:00 PM GMT+0

Almost a quarter of men (23%) said they prefer a male doctor

A recent study found that women are more likely to survive a heart attack if they’re treated by a female physician. Many women also say they prefer to see a female doctor generally, but a near-equal number say that the gender of their doctor doesn’t matter, according to new data from YouGov Omnibus.

About half (51%) of Americans say they have no preference between a male and female doctor, while another 31% say they prefer being treated by a female doctor, according to new data from YouGov Omnibus.

Women were considerably more likely to say they preferred treatment by a female doctor. Almost half (46%) of women chose this response, compared to only 15% of men. A near-equal number (44%) of women said that they had no preference between a male doctor or a female one.

Almost a quarter of men (23%) said they prefer a male doctor, while only 6% of women agreed. The most common answer for men was “no preference,” with 58% choosing this answer.

The most popular response for people of all political affiliations was “no preference,” with 48% of Democrats, 50% of Republicans, and 56% of politically independent people choosing this option. Republicans (22%) were more likely than Democrats (12%) to say they would prefer a male doctor. Another 38% of Democrats would prefer a female doctor, while about one-quarter (26%) of Republicans agreed.

Learn more about YouGov Omnibus.

Image: Getty