2008 National Polls (pre-election)

Below is a selection of recent national public opinion polls showing presidential preference; we have highlighted survey findings on gender. 

The gender gap* is the difference in the percentages of women and men who support a given candidate — the gap between the genders, not within a gender. Even if women and men favor the same candidate, they may do so by different margins, resulting in a gender gap.

* We calculate the gender gap for each poll based on the votes of women and men who support the candidate leading in that poll.

Poll Date
in Field		 Release
Date		 Overall Results
Gender
Gap*
Women
for
McCain
Men for
McCain
Women
for
Obama
Men for
Obama
Undecided
Women
Undecided
Men
ABC/Post 10/22-10/25 10/26 Obama 52%;
McCain 45%
11 pts. 
41%
51%
57%
46%
NA
NA
Newsweek 10/22-10/23 10/24 Obama 53%;
McCain 40%
2 pts. 
39%
42%
54%
52%
7%
4%
CBS/NYTimes 10/19-10/22 10/23 Obama 52%;
McCain 39%
5 pts.
37%
41%
55%
50%
NA
NA
Rasmussen 10/13-10/19 10/22 Obama 50%;
McCain 45%
6 pts.
42%
49%
53%
47%
3%
2%
ABC/Post 10/18-10/21 10/22 Obama 54%;
McCain 43%
7 pts.
41%
46%
57%
50%
NA
NA
NBC/WSJ 10/17-10/20 10/21 Obama 52%;
McCain 42%
7 pts.
38%
45%
56%
49%
NA
NA
ARG 10/18-10/20 10/21 Obama 49%;
McCain 45%
7 pts. 
43%
48%
52%
45%
NA
NA
Franklin and Marshall College 10/13-10/19 10/22 Obama 50%;
McCain 45%
7 pts.
41%
45%
51%
44%
6%
6%
Pew 10/16-10/19 10/21 Obama 52%;
McCain 38%
6 pts.
35%
42%
55%
49%
NA
NA
Gallup 10/13-10/19 10/20 Obama 51%;
McCain 42%
7 pts.
39%
46%
54%
47%
NA
NA
ARG 10/11-10/13 10/14 Obama 50%;
McCain 45%
7 pts.
44%
47%
53%
46%
NA
NA
CBS/NYTimes 10/10-10/13 10/14 Obama 53%;
McCain 39%
1 pt.
37%
41%
52%
53%
NA
NA
Pew 10/9-10/12 10/14 Obama 50%;
MCCain 40%
8 pts.
35%
46%
54%
46%
NA
NA
LA Times/Bloomberg 10/10-10/13 10/14 Obama 49%;
McCain 41%
0 pts.
41%
40%
49%
49%
8%
9%
Ipsos/McClatchy 10/9-10/13 10/14 Obama 48%;
McCain 39%
5 pts.
37%
41%
50%
45%
10%
10%
ABC/Post 10/8-10/11 10/13 Obama 53%;
McCain 43%
9 pts.
39%
47%
57%
48%
NA
NA
Rasmussen Reports 10/6-10/12 10/13 Obama 51%;
McCain 45%
7 pts.
42%
48%
54%
47%
4%
3%
Gallup 10/6-10/12 10/13 Obama 51%;
McCain 41%
4 pts.
39%
44%
53%
49%
NA
NA
Newsweek 10/8-10/9 10/10 Obama 52%;
McCain 41%
4 pts.
41%
40%
50%
54%
8%
5%
Ipsos/McClatchey 10/2-10/6 10/7 Obama 47%;
McCain 40%
13 pts.
36%
45%
53%
40%
9%
10%
NBC/WSJ 10/4-10/5 10/6 Obama 49%;
McCain 43%
5 pts.
41%
46%
51%
46%
4.4%
3.8%
Rasmussen Reports 9/29-10/5 10/6 Obama 52%;
McCain 44%
7 pts.
52%
48%
55%
48%
3%
2%
Gallup 9/29-10/5 10/6 Obama 49%;
Mcain 43%
8 pts.
39%
47%
53%
45%
NA
NA
GWU/Tarrance 9/28-10/2 10/3 Obama 45%;
McCain 41%
7 pts.
37%
46%
48%
41%
14%
11%
Time 9/26-9/29 10/1 Obama 50%;
McCain 43%		 10 pts.
36%
47%
53%
43%
10%
9%
CBS 9/27-9/30 10/1 Obama 49%;
McCain 40%
4 pts.
37%
43%
51%
47%
NA
NA
Pew 9/27-9/29 10/1 Obama 49%;
McCain 42%
11 pts.
37%
47%
54%
43%
NA
NA
ABC/Post 9/27-9/29 9/30 Obama 50%;
McCain 46%
5 pts.
45%
48%
52%
47%
NA
NA
Gallup  9/22-9/28 9/30 Obama 48%;
McCain 44%
8 pts.
39%
49%
52%
44%
NA
NA
CBS/NYTimes 9/21-9/24 9/25 Obama 47%;
McCain 42%
4 pts.
36%
49%
49%
45%
NA
NA
Bloomberg/LATimes 9/19-9/22 9/24 Obama 46%;
McCain 44%
6 pts.
40%
49%
49%
43%
NA
NA
Franklin and Marshall College 9/15-9/21 9/25 Obama 45%;
McCain 43%
11 pts.
38%
52%
48%
37%
11%
8%
NBC/Wall Street Journal 9/19-9/22 9/25 Obama 48%;
McCain 46%
5 pts.
42%
50%
50%
45%
8%
4.3%
Franklin and Marshall College 9/15-9/21 9/25 Obama 45%
McCain 43%
11 pts.
38%
52%
48%
37%
NA
NA
Bloomberg/LATimes 9/19-9/22 9/24 Obama 46%;
McCain 44%
6 pts.
40%
49%
49%
43%
NA
NA
ABC/Post 9/19-9/23 9/24 Obama 52%;
McCain 43%
9 pts.
40%
47%
56%
47%
NA
NA
ARG 9/20-9/22 9/23 Obama 48%;
MCCain 46%
5 pts.
45%
48%
50%
45%
NA
NA
Economist/YouGov 9/15-9/16 9/18 McCain 45%;
Obama 43%
10 pts.
40%
50%
47%
40%
9%
6%
Pew 9/9-9/14 9/18 Obama 46%;
McCain 44%
9 pts.
40%
49%
50%
41%
NA
NA
CBS/NYTimes 9/12-9/16 9/17 Obama 48%;
McCain 43%
12 pts.
38%
48%
54%
42%
NA
NA
Quinnipiac 9/11-9/16 9/17 Obama 49%;
McCain 45%
11 pts.
40%
50%
54%
43%
5%
5%
Newsweek 9/10-9/11 9/12 Obama 46%;
McCain 46%
(includes leaning voters)
2 pts.
0 pts.
46%
46%
45%
47%
10%
6%
Economist/YouGov 9/7-9/9 9/10 Obama 41%;
McCain 40%
3 pts.
37%
45%
42%
39%
16%
11%
InsiderAdvantage 9/8 9/9 McCain 46%;
Obama 46%
9 pts.
12 pts.
42%
51%
52%
40%
NA
NA
Rasmusen Weekly 9/1-9/7
9/8
 Obama 49%;
McCain 46%
42%
50%
52%
46%
6 pts.
3%
4%
CBS 9/1-9/3 9/4 McCain 42%;
Obama 42%
8 pts.
2 pts.
38%
46%
43%
41%
NA
NA
Economist/YouGov 9/1-9/3 9/4 Obama 42%;
McCain 39%
5 pts.
33%
46%
44%
39%
17%
9%


© Copyright  Center for American Women and Politics, Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey