American Government and Politics Today, Brief Edition, 2014-2015

122 PART TwO • THE POlITICS OF AMERICAn dEMOCRACy

TAblE 6–1: Votes by groups in Presidential

Elections, 1996–2012 (in Percentages)

1996 2000 2004 2008 2012

Clinton Dole Gore Bush Kerry Bush Obama McCain Obama Romney

(Dem.) (Rep.) (Dem.) (Rep.) (Dem.) (Rep.) (Dem.) (Rep.) (Dem.) (Rep.)

Total vote 49 41 48 48 48 51 53 46 51 47

Gender

Men 43 44 42 53 44 55 49 48 45 52

Women 54 38 54 43 51 48 56 43 55 44

Race or ethnicity

White 43 46 42 54 41 58 43 55 39 59

Black 84 12 90 8 88 11 95 4 93 6

Hispanic 72 21 67 31 58 40* 67 31 71 27

Educational attainment

Not a high school graduate 59 28 59 39 50 50 63 35 54 35

High school only 51 35 48 49 47 52 52 46 51 48

College graduate 44 46 45 51 46 52 50 48 47 51

Postgraduate education 52 40 52 44 54 45 58 40 55 42

Religion

White Protestant 36 53 34 63 32 68 34 65 30 69 †

Catholic 53 37 49 47 47 52 54 45 50 48

Jewish 78 16 79 19 75 24 78 21 69 30

White evangelical NA NA NA NA 21 79 24 74 21 78

Union status

Union household 59 30 59 37 59 40 59 39 58 40

Family income

Under $15,000 59 28 57 37 63 37 73 25 NA NA

$15,000–29,000 53 36 54 41 57 41 60 37 63 35 ‡

$30,000–49,000 48 40 49 48 50 49 55 43 57 42

Over $50,000 44 48 45 52 43 56 49 49 45 53

Size of place of residence

Population over 500,000 68 25 71 26 60 40 70 28 69 29

Population

50,000–500,000 50 39 57 40 50 50 59 39 58 40

Population

10,000–50,000 48 41 38 59 48 51 45 53 42 56

Rural 44 46 37 59 39 60 45 53 37 61

NA = Not asked.

*The official figure reported by the National Election Pool was 44. Studies later proved that this figure was impossibly high. NBC News

lowered it to 40, but even that figure may be somewhat too high.

†In 2012, Protestant or “other Christian.”

‡In 2012, below $30,000.

Sources: New York Times; Voter News Service; CBS News; and National Election Pool.

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