VOTERS AGREE: IT'S THE END OF COWBOY DIPLOMACY
New Survey Finds International Cooperation Strongest Message for Women Candidates, Strongly Resonates with Voters
Least convincing message for female candidates is that we are safer post 9/11
New York, NY (September 8, 2006)--- According to survey results released today by The White House Project and Lake Research Partners, international cooperation is the strongest security message for female candidates heading into the mid-term election and resonates strongly with both Republican and Democratic voters. Eighty-percent of Americans were convinced when a female candidate stressed the need for working with other countries to stop terrorism—52% of male voters were very convinced. The least convincing security message for female candidates is that the current Administration has made us safer than we were before 9/11.
The survey tested new security messages on likely 2006 voters from both general and female candidates’ voices and found that being a woman candidate in most cases only marginally changes the response by both male and female voters.
“As recent polls show, Americans are looking for a new kind of leadership that will make this country safer and stronger. With a record number of women running for office this election, this is an opportunity for women candidates from both parties to assume leadership in the area of national security,” said Marie Wilson, president of The White House Project, a national nonpartisan nonprofit that advances women’s leadership.
“Women candidates have historically been perceived as vulnerable on security issues, but recent polls show that a majority of voters equally trust women and men on the complex issues of national security, defense and foreign policy,” said Wilson.
The other security language that tests well for women candidates are messages focusing on Strong Military, Diplomatic Leadership and Domestic Security. Seventy-five percent of those surveyed were convinced when a woman candidate said that America must have a strong military along with a broader approach that involves diplomacy, working with other countries, and investing in overseas development. Seventy-three percent were convinced when a female candidate claimed that the current administration is too quick to use military rather than pursue a diplomatic solution. Seventy-two percent of likely 2006 voters were convinced when a female candidate said that America has become less secure due to record national debt and decreased job, health care and retirement security and that we need a plan for real homeland security.
“It’s no coincidence that the shift toward cooperative leadership is aligned aligned with the trust in women candidates on national security,” said Celinda Lake, president of Lake Research Partners, a national public opinion and political strategy research firm.
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Lake Research Partners designed and administered this survey, which was conducted by phone using professional interviewers. The survey reached 1,000 registered likely voters ages 18 or older nationwide. The survey was conducted between August 27 and September 5, 2006. The margin of error for the entire survey is +/-3.1%; margin of error for split sampled questions is +/-4.4% For more information on the survey, contact Candace McAdams at The White House Project at 212-785-6001.
About the White House Project:
With a record number of women candidates running this cycle, The White House Project through its REAL SECURITY INITIATIVE is equipping women candidates with the tools they need to speak authoritatively on national security. Past research has shown that the biggest hurdle for women candidates is a perceived lack of competence on national security, military and foreign affairs. Through a series of activities—candidate trainings, panel discussions and the placement of security experts in the media through SheSource.org --- we are working to shift the public’s perception of women’s leadership on security and other non-traditional areas.
About Lake Research Partners:
Lake Research Partners is a national public opinion and political strategy research firm with principals in Washington, DC, Virginia, New York, and California. Our principals are leading political strategists, serving as tacticians and senior advisors to a wide range of advocacy groups, education organizations, non-profits, and foundations, as well as dozens of incumbents and challengers at all levels of the electoral process.
Over sixty percent of the firm’s work is with foundations, issue-advocacy and non-profit organizations. LRP works with a diverse group of organizations, businesses, universities, and publications, including Planned Parenthood Federation of America, NARAL Pro-Choice America, the Sierra Club, the White House Project, the American Planning Association, Clean Air Trust, Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, US Department of Health and Human Services, Economic and Social Research Institute, Center for Women’s Policy Studies, National Education Association, Public Education Network, American Association of University Women, Afterschool Alliance, Mott Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, and many others.