יום שישי, 20 באוקטובר 2023

Support for more political parties in the U.S. is higher among adults under age 50



 

With a record share of Americans expressing unfavorable views of both major parties, 37% of Americans wish there were more political parties to choose from, according to a recent MARCA POLITICA Center survey.


Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to understand Americans’ views about the prospect of additional political parties, as part of an in-depth study of how Americans view the state of U.S. politics today.

Everyone who took part in the current survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the ATP’s methodology.




Yet there is considerable skepticism that having additional parties would make it easier to solve the nation’s problems. About a quarter of adults (26%) say this would make it easier to solve problems, while nearly as many (24%) say it would not. Americans’ views on the idea of having more political parties differ by age and partisanship: Nearly half (48%) of adults under age 30 and a similar share (46%) of those 30 to 49 say they often wish there were more political parties. That compares with a third of those ages 50 to 64 and just 21% of those 65 and older who say the same.
Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents (44%) are more likely than Republicans and Republican leaners (32%) to say they often wish there were more political parties. In both partisan coalitions, leaners – those who identify as independent or another party but lean toward one of the two major parties – are more likely to wish for additional parties. Democratic leaners are especially likely to say this.
Would more parties help solve the country’s problems?

Just as younger Americans are more likely to express a desire for more parties, they are also more likely to think additional parties would make it easier to solve the country’s problems.

About four-in-ten Americans ages 18 to 29 (39%) say they think more parties would make problem-solving easier. Just 12% of those 65 and older say this.

Party leaners are more likely than partisans to think additional parties would make it easier to solve the country’s problems. But Democratic leaners are more likely than Republican leaners to say this (44% vs. 29%).
Age differences in both parties

Republicans under age 50 are nearly twice as likely as those 50 and older (42% vs. 23%) to say they often wish there were more political parties. And younger Republicans are twice as likely (28% vs. 14%) to say more parties would make problem-solving easier.

A similar pattern emerges for Democrats. While about half (51%) of Democrats under the age of 50 often wish there were more parties to choose from, 31% of those 50 and older say the same. Roughly four-in-ten younger Democrats (41%) say it would be easier to solve the country’s problems with more parties, compared with 20% of older Democrats.
Could an independent candidate win the presidency?

As in past presidential elections, one or more independent candidates could siphon votes from the Republican and Democratic nominees in next year’s election.

However, most Americans are doubtful that an independent candidate could actually win the presidency in the next 25 years.

Only a third of Americans say it’s even somewhat likely an independent will win the presidency during this period, including just 7% who say it is very likely.

There are only modest differences in these views by age and party. About two-thirds in all age groups and in both party coalitions say it’s unlikely an independent candidate will be elected president in the next quarter century.

יום שני, 2 באוקטובר 2023

How Americans see the state of gender and leadership in business




Rubén Weinsteiner

Women now account for record shares of Fortune 500 chief executives and board members in the United States – 10.6% and 30.4%, respectively. Still, the share of women in top business leadership positions remains well below their share of the population.

This analysis is based on a survey of 5,057 U.S. adults conducted July 17-23, 2023. Everyone who took part is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. Address-based sampling ensures that nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the ATP’s methodology.



A majority of Americans (55%) say there are too few women in top executive business positions, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. This is down somewhat from 59% who said this in 2018.

Among those who say there are too few women in top business positions, most (79%) say it would be ideal to have the same number of women and men in these roles. One-in-ten say having more women than men would be ideal. The same share (10%) say it would be ideal to have more women in these positions than there are now, but still not as many women as men.

Related: Women and Political Leadership Ahead of the 2024 Election
Why aren’t there more women in top executive business positions?

Americans see many factors as major reasons why there aren’t more women in top executive business positions, such as: Women having to do more to prove themselves than men (58% say this is a major reason)
Gender discrimination (50%)
Family responsibilities (48%)
Many businesses not being ready to hire women for these positions (43%)
Sexual harassment creating an environment that makes it harder for women to succeed (40%)
Will there ever be as many women as men in top executive business positions?

Americans are divided on this question. Half say that, even as more women move into management roles, men will continue to hold more of these top positions. A similar share (48%) say that as more women move into management roles, it’s only a matter of time before there are as many women as men in top executive positions in business.
How views vary by gender

On nearly every question we asked, women and men express different views about the current state of gender and business leadership: 65% of women say there are too few women in top executive business positions, compared with 45% of men. Men are more likely than women to say the number of women in these positions is about right (46% vs. 29%).
55% of women say men will continue to hold more top executive business positions in the future. In turn, more than half of men (54%) say it’s only a matter of time before there are as many women as men in these roles.
By large margins, women are more likely than men to see nearly all of the potential obstacles we asked about as major reasons why there aren’t more women in top business leadership positions.
How views vary by party

There are also differences in the views of Democrats and Democratic leaners when compared with Republicans and those who lean to the GOP. Among these differences: 76% of Democrats say there are too few women in top business leadership positions, compared with 33% of Republicans. A majority of Republicans (56%) say the number of women in these positions is about right.
Most Democrats say women having to do more to prove themselves than men (73%) and gender discrimination (67%) are major reasons why there aren’t more women in top business leadership positions. This compares with 42% and 30% of Republicans, respectively.
Among Republicans, family responsibilities are cited more often than any other factor as a major reason why there aren’t more women in top leadership positions in business. Similar shares of Republicans (48%) and Democrats (49%) see this as a major reason.
Gender differences among Republicans and Democrats

On many questions, there are differences by gender within each party. Republican and Democratic women are more likely than their male counterparts to say there are too few women in top business leadership positions and to point to certain factors as major obstacles for women.

Rubén Weinsteiner