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 |
Women |
Men for |
Women |
Men for |
Undecided |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 (PDF) | 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 (PDF) | 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 (PDF) | 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 (PDF) | 10/10-10/13 | 10/14 | Obama 53%; McCain 39% |
1 pt. |
37% |
41% |
52% |
53% |
NA |
NA |
| Pew (PDF) | 10/9-10/12 | 10/14 | Obama 50%; MCCain 40% |
8 pts. |
35% |
46% |
54% |
46% |
NA |
NA |
| LA Times/Bloomberg (PDF) | 10/10-10/13 | 10/14 | Obama 49%; McCain 41% |
0 pts. |
41% |
40% |
49% |
49% |
8% |
9% |
| Ipsos/McClatchy (PDF) | 10/9-10/13 | 10/14 | Obama 48%; McCain 39% |
5 pts. |
37% |
41% |
50% |
45% |
10% |
10% |
| ABC/Post (PDF) | 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 (PDF) | 10/2-10/6 | 10/7 | Obama 47%; McCain 40% |
13 pts. |
36% |
45% |
53% |
40% |
9% |
10% |
| NBC/WSJ (PDF) | 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 (PDF) | 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 (PDF) | 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 (PDF) | 9/21-9/24 | 9/25 | Obama 47%; McCain 42% |
4 pts. |
36% |
49% |
49% |
45% |
NA |
NA |
| Bloomberg/LATimes (PDF) | 9/19-9/22 | 9/24 | Obama 46%; McCain 44% |
6 pts. |
40% |
49% |
49% |
43% |
NA |
NA |
| Franklin and Marshall College (PDF) | 9/15-9/21 | 9/25 | Obama 45%; McCain 43% |
11 pts. |
38% |
52% |
48% |
37% |
11% |
8% |
| NBC/Wall Street Journal (PDF) | 9/19-9/22 | 9/25 | Obama 48%; McCain 46% |
5 pts. |
42% |
50% |
50% |
45% |
8% |
4.3% |
| Franklin and Marshall College (PDF) | 9/15-9/21 | 9/25 | Obama 45% McCain 43% |
11 pts. |
38% |
52% |
48% |
37% |
NA |
NA |
| Bloomberg/LATimes (PDF) | 9/19-9/22 | 9/24 | Obama 46%; McCain 44% |
6 pts. |
40% |
49% |
49% |
43% |
NA |
NA |
| ABC/Post (PDF) | 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 (PDF) | 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 (PDF) | 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. |
46% |
46% |
45% |
47% |
10% |
6% |
| Economist/YouGov (PDF) | 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. |
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 (PDF) | 9/1-9/3 | 9/4 | McCain 42%; Obama 42% |
8 pts. |
38% |
46% |
43% |
41% |
NA |
NA |
| Economist/YouGov (PDF) | 9/1-9/3 | 9/4 | Obama 42%; McCain 39% |
5 pts. |
33% |
46% |
44% |
39% |
17% |
9% |