Regarding less critical considerations, such as social issues and the personal qualities of the candidates, the public is more apt to believe a woman president would do a superior job. Forty-six percent say that a woman would do a better job than a man when it comes to social issues such as education, poverty, and homelessness. This compares to just 13 percent who think a man would do a better job and 38 percent who say there would be no difference. Thirty-six percent say there would be no difference. Forty-five percent think a male president would be better skilled at foreign policy versus 15 percent who favor a female president and 36 percent who say there would be no difference.
Women surveyed have more faith in the abilities of a female president than men do.
On average, women are nine points more likely than men to say that a woman president would do a better job than a man across the seven issues asked about. On average, men are three points more likely to say that a male president would outperform a female president across the seven issues studied. Americans aged 55 and older are on average six points more likely than the general public to believe a male president would do a better job than a women across the seven issues. This is especially true of mature women, who are more likely than their younger counterparts to believe a man would do a better job than a woman in five of the seven areas studied. Although the public rates men and women differently on specific characteristics, the majority are not opposed to the idea of a woman running for president.