2012 National Polls (Pre-Election)

In the selection of recent national public opinion polls below showing presidential preferences, we have highlighted findings on gender.*

Recent attention to the gender gap in presidential vote choice frequently reflects confusion between what is traditionally known as the gender gap in voting between men and women voters and a commonly reported difference in support for each major party candidate among women voters. The data below includes both measures.

The Gender Gap: The difference between the percentages of women and men who support a given candidate, generally the leading or winning candidate. Even if women and men favor the same candidate, they may do so by different margins, resulting in a gender gap. We calculate the gender gap for each poll based on the votes of women and men who support the candidate leading in that poll.

   Example: [%Women for Leading Candidate] – [%Men for Leading Candidate] = Gender Gap

The Women's Vote: The percentage point advantage that one candidate has over the other among women voters – that is, the difference in support for the major party candidates among women voters only.

  Example: [%Women for Obama] – [%Women for Romney] = Women's Vote

* Polls are based on samples of either registered or likely voters. Follow the link to each poll for additional details on methodology.

Final National Exit Poll, 2008

Obama: 53%
McCain: 46%
Gender Gap: 7 pts.
Women's Vote: +13% Obama

Pre-Election Polls