Leadership ability, not race or gender, is the key factor minority women Democrats use to select Barack Obama or Hilary Clinton as the Democratic presidential nominee, according to a new nationwide survey commissioned by LEADS at Spelman College in Atlanta.
The results of a national survey released earlier this month by Spelman's Center for Leadership & Civic Engagement (LEADS) found that fewer than 10 percent of African American, Hispanic, Asian /Pacific Islander and Native American women Democrats indicated that the primary motivators for selecting the next presidential candidate were race or gender.
According to Dr. Jane E. Smith, executive director of LEADS, the results of the study trump what has been reported by some media outlets, namely, the notion that Black women were torn between race in gender in voting in the Democratic primary.
"We were not hearing the word 'leadership,'" Smith said, referring to the dialogues in the media about the candidates qualifications.
The study confirms other national polls stating that African-American women are more likely to select Obama, while Hispanics and other minority women prefer Clinton.
The top three characteristics that minority women Democrats consider in presidential candidates are: integrity (19 percent), ability to make changes (nearly 15 percent, and experience (almost 13 percent). Included among the top five characteristics were inclusiveness and intelligence (11 percent each). The study is the first conducted to explore the political interest and mindsets of minority women.
The study found that
- Clinton supporters were more likely to vote for her because she is a woman (20.6 percent) when compared to those who would vote for Obama because he is African American (6.7 percent);
- Clinton supporters (51 percent) cite her experience as the top reason they would vote for her while Obama supporters say he is the one who best represents change (21 percent).
When asked to describe their personal motivations to vote for a candidate, respondents (unaided) revealed the following:
- Obama supporters believe he understands the issues (13.4 percent) more than Clinton supporters believe she does (9.4 percent)
- Significantly more Clinton supporters (6.5 percent) believe she better understands the challenges and experiences of women compared to Obama supporters (.9 percent);
- However, more than twice as many Obama supporters believe he will address the concerns of all people (11.6 percent compared to 5.8 percent for Clinton).
- Obama supporters (9.4 percent) are more likely than Clinton supporters (1.8 percent) to believe their candidate “will make America better”
- Obama constituents (4.7 percent) cite he has a better chance of winning the presidential election compared to the number of Clinton supporters (3.8 percent) who believe she can win.
Smith said many people have been both "intrigued and surprised" by the study’s results, but Tinaz Pavri, an associate professor and chair of Spelman's Department of Political Science, said she was not surprised.
"From what our students have been saying, they have a number of different motivations for who they vote for, including race and gender, but also the candidate who best represents their positions and these positions are different depending on who they are," Pavri said.
The survey was conducted nationwide via telephone. All 905 female respondents were head of household, over 18, and registered Democrats who said they planned to vote in the next presidential election. The randomly selected respondents included 305 Black women, 300 Hispanic women and 300 other minority women including Asian/Pacific Islanders and Native Americans.
LEADS at Spelman College builds on the legacy of the private, historically Black institution by creating and teaching a leadership model based on the historic influences, experiences and achievements of Black women worldwide. For more information, visit www.spelman.edu.
