US Democracy and Participation - Topic 5.2.3

Question 1

How is gender likely to influence voting patterns?

Answer 1

In every election since 1980, women have voted in higher proportions than men. Traditionally, they’re more likely to support the Democrats, although the division isn’t extreme. in 2016, 41% of women voted for Trump, a noted drop, and Hillary Clinton being his opponent.

Question 2

How is race likely to influence voting patterns?

Answer 2

Turnout of the two biggest minority groups in the US - Hispanics and African Americans - in general elections is typically lower than white Americans. Similar to women, racial minorities tend to vote more for the Democrats in recent elections. However, a significant minority of these groups do vote Republican.

Policies perceived as important to minority rights have often been championed more by Democrats than Republicans. Voting rights and affirmative action have traditionally been seen as particularly relevant to African Americans. For Hispanics, the typically significant policy was assumed to be immigration, however, the economy came on top in 2020, with immigration placed fifth in importance.

Question 3

How is education likely to influence voting patterns?

Answer 3

Traditionally, educational qualifications alone may not have been discussed by political pollsters and pundits. Age, race, gender and religion were all common delineators of how people voted.

In 2016 and 2020, education became a huge headline. The key trend appeared to be that those who had a higher level of education were more likely to vote Democrat, while those without college-level degrees tended to vote Trump.

Question 4

How is religion likely to influence voting patterns?

Answer 4

Religion can become a factor with regard to some of the moral issues posed by government policies. For voters who have a religious affiliation, party stances on these matters can therefore influence their vote.

• Protestants are more likely to be Republican, with congressional members of the social conservatives supporting the views that these voters hold
• Catholics have more split voting patterns, with issues such as abortion causing their votes to swing between the parties
• Jewish American are reliable Democrats, traditionally being far more liberal in their views and sharing sympathy with minority groups