Gender Gap - Gore Leads by 6 Points in New Reuters Poll

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Thursday September 7 10:55 AM ET

Gore Leads by 6 Points in New Reuters Poll

By Alan Elsner, Political Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Buoyed by support from women, Democrat Al Gore (news - web sites) leads Republican George W. Bush (news - web sites) by six percentage points in the U.S. presidential race in which the gender gap has become a chasm, according to a new Reuters/Zogby poll released on Thursday.

The poll of 1,001 likely voters conducted for Reuters Monday through Wednesday by pollster John Zogby found the vice president leading Bush, the governor of Texas, by 46 to 40 percent.

Green Party candidate Ralph Nader (news - web sites) polled 5 percent and the Reform Party's Pat Buchanan (news - web sites) scored 2 percent. In a two-man matchup. Gore led 49 to 43 percent.

Gore's lead was still on the edges of the poll's statistical margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percent but the survey confirmed the vice president had kept the bounce he received from last month's Democratic convention and added to it.

In the last Reuters/Zogby poll, taken the weekend following the convention that ended Aug. 17 and released Aug. 21, Gore had led by three points. Since then, his support has risen by two percentage percent and Bush's has dropped by two points.

Recent history shows that the candidate leading in the first poll after Labor Day almost invariably goes on to win the election.

Massive Gender Gap

The main feature of the poll was a massive gender gap, with women supporting Gore by 21 percentage points while men were backing Bush by 11 points. That added up to an unprecedented 32-point differential.

``I guess you could say that Gore supporters are from Venus and Bush supporters are from Mars. This is as wide as you can imagine it,'' said pollster John Zogby.

In the 1996 presidential election, President Clinton won the vote among women by 16 points but Republican Bob Dole edged the vote among men by one point -- a 17-point gap.

In the new poll, more than 77 percent of respondents said they did not intend to change their minds before the Nov. 7 election. Undecided voters broke two to one for Gore when asked which way they leaned.

Nearly two-thirds said the United States was headed in the right direction -- a leading indicator that the party holding the White House could expect to be rewarded with a new term.

Asked to rank issues, voters indicated that education and Social Security remained at the top of their agenda, followed by universal heath care for children, military preparedness and providing prescription drugs for seniors. Cutting taxes and campaign finance reform lagged well behind.

Gore Ahead On Issues

Respondents preferred Gore's position over Bush's by a wide margin on education (25 points), health care for children (30 points), a patient's bill of rights (40 points) and campaign finance reform (32 points).

Gore also led by nine points on providing prescription drugs for older Americans. Bush led by four points on tax cuts, six points on military preparedness and a single point on Social Security.

``Gore has built a clear advantage on many of the key issues,'' Zogby said. ``But it would be a mistake to read too much into this poll, which was taken after a period when Bush has been on the ropes. This is still a horse race.''

The poll showed Gore and Bush remained in a virtual dead heat in the key Midwest region, where many experts believe the election will be won. Gore led easily on both coasts and made inroads into Bush's base in the South as well.

While both candidates enjoyed overwhelming support from their own party faithful, Gore led by eight points among independent voters. He also led among most age groups, though the two candidates were statistically tied in the crucial 35- to 55-year-old bracket.

Gore's lead among voters living in big cities was offset by Bush's wide advantage among rural voters. The race was a virtual tie among suburban and small-town voters.

Bush led by eight points among whites but Gore was getting almost 90 percent of the black vote and had a 21-point lead among Hispanics.

Many experts, including Zogby, believe one key group to watch in the election are those earning $25,000-$50,000 a year who have not fully participated in the country's prosperity. The two candidates were tied in this group.

-- Observer (Lots@to.observe), September 09, 2000

Answers

"The main feature of the poll was a massive gender gap, with women supporting Gore by 21 percentage points while men were backing Bush by 11 points."

-- Newsman (any@truth.inthe.news?), September 09, 2000.

This appears to lend credibility to Unc's recent controversial post.

-- Analyzer (all@is.nearly.lost), September 09, 2000.

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