Survey Shows Americans are Indifferent about Gender in the White House

PROVO, Utah — February 25, 2008 — If the candidates were otherwise identical, who would most likely receive your vote for President of the United States, a male or a female? Americans from all 50 states were asked this in a revealing survey about this year’s upcoming election.

Qualtrics Survey Software, a leader in the enterprise feedback management industry, utilized its own survey tools to poll American voters about their perception of the potential U.S. President. Respondents anonymously revealed their preferences about the candidates' platforms, character, religion, race and gender.

Fifty-two percent of those surveyed indicated that if the candidates were otherwise identical, a male would be more likely to receive their vote. Fifty-eight percent of respondents suggested that religion was a 'non-issue' in this election, and only 11 percent of respondents indicated that a candidate's religion was of enough influence to change their vote.

"We are in such a unique election year, with candidates coming from such differing backgrounds æ in terms of experience, as well as religion, race and even gender," says Ryan Smith, Qualtrics Director. "Our survey was conducted in an attempt to extract Americans’ perceptions about some of these unique issues, and we feel that the results did just that."

While only three percent of respondents indicated that a candidate’s political party was a 'key factor' in their choice, 74 percent of Americans surveyed felt that the next U.S. President would be a from the Democratic Party. Sixty-eight percent of respondents indicated that if the election were held today, a Democratic candidate would receive their vote.

'Leadership potential' topped the list of 'key factors' in choosing a candidate, with 45 percent of respondents citing it as their highest priority. Thirty-eight percent felt 'values' was the most important criterion and 11 percent suggested 'experience' was the most critical quality.

Qualtrics Survey Software
2483 Canyon Road
Provo, UT 84604
Contact:
Derek Westra
Public Relations Director
801.374.6682

About Qualtrics:

Qualtrics is a market leader in Internet-based, electronic survey creation, analysis and distribution software. More than 30,000 customers prefer Qualtrics for their market research, enterprise feedback management, and survey software needs, including representatives from Fortune 500 companies and the nation’s top business schools. Learn more about Qualtrics by visiting www.qualtrics.com or calling 1.801.374.6682.

This release was published on openPR.