1958 Gallup Poll: Prejudice in Politics

[Sumner 1868]

https://archive.org/details/galluppollpublic0000gall/page/1574/mode/2up?view=theater

You need an account to access the book of course. Wasn't entirely sure if this belonged on this board or the Political Geography and Demographics board.

Q: If your party nominated a well-qualified person for President and he happened to be a Catholic would you vote for him?

Yes/No

Overall Result: 68/25
Male: 68/25
Female: 67/25
21-29 Years: 77/18
30-49 Years: 72/21
50 and over: 59/33
College: 74/22
High School: 71/23
Grade School: 58/31
New England: 84/9
Middle Atlantic: 77/16
Midwest: 67/26
South: 51/39
West: 74/23
Protestant: 58/34
Catholic: 95/2
Jewish: 86/6

Q: If he happened to be a Baptist, would you vote for him?
Overall Result: 92/3
Male: 92/4
Female: 92/2
21-29 Years: 93/3
30-49 Years: 91/3
50 and over: 92/3
College: 94/2
High School: 91/3
Grade School: 89/4
New England: 93/2
Middle Atlantic: 90/4
Midwest: 90/4
South: 91/2
West: 95/2
Protestant: 93/2
Catholic: 91/5
Jewish: 90/2

If he happened to be a Jew, would you vote for him?
Overall Result: 62/28
Male: 62/29
Female: 62/27
21-19 Years: 70/24
30-49 Years: 66/24
50 and over: 55/34
College: 78/16
High School: 66/26
Grade School: 49/37
New England: 69/23
Middle Atlantic: 74./17
Midwest: 63/28
South: 43/44
West: 71/21
Protestant: 55/34
Catholic: 79/16
Jewish: 91/3

If he happened to be a Negro would you vote for him?
Overall Result: 38/53
Male: 36/56
Female: 39/51
21-29 Years: 50/43
30-49 Years: 41/49
50 and over: 29/62
College: 48/45
High School: 39/52
Grade School: 30/59
New England: 51/42
Middle Atlantic: 48/40
Midwest: 35/56
South: 22/70
West: 47/44
Protestant: 33/58
Catholic: 45/46
Jewish: 67/22

If he happened to be an atheist would you vote for him?
Overall Result: 18/75
Male: 21/73
Female: 16/76
21-29 Years: 26/68
30-49 Years: 20/73
Over 50: 13/80
College: 25/70
High School: 19/75
Grade School: 13/77
New England: 30/62
Middle Atlantic: 28/62
Midwest: 15/79
South: 6/87
West: 23/70
Protestant: 13/81
Catholic: 25/68
Jewish: 50/41

Would you vote for a woman for President?
Overall Result: 52/43
Male: 51/44
Female: 55/41
21-29 Years: 58/38
30-49 Years: 52/43
50 and Over: 51/44
College: 57/41
High School: 54/41
Grade School: 48/46
New England: 50/47
Middle Atlantic: 57/38
Midwest: 52/42
South: 47/48
West: 57/39
Protestant: 52/44
Catholic: 53/41
Jewish: 65/30

[Agonized-Statism]

If he happened to be a Jew, would you vote for him?
Overall Result: 62/28
Male: 62/29
Female: 62/27
21-19 Years: 70/24
30-49 Years: 66/24
50 and over: 55/34
College: 78/16
High School: 66/26
Grade School: 49/37
New England: 69/23
Middle Atlantic: 74./17
Midwest: 63/28
South: 43/44
West: 71/21
Protestant: 55/34
Catholic: 79/16
Jewish: 91/3

Funny enough, they would be Goldwater's strongest region six years later. That said, he was a practicing Episcopalian and only his father was Jewish, so not sure it counts.

[Skill and Chance]

Would you vote for a woman for President?
Overall Result: 52/43
Male: 51/44
Female: 55/41

How on Earth was the gender gap on this question only 3-4%?!

[RINO Tom]

Really unfortunate there is no breakdown by party.

[Property Representative of the Harold Holt Swimming Centre]

Would you vote for a woman for President?
Overall Result: 52/43
Male: 51/44
Female: 55/41

How on Earth was the gender gap on this question only 3-4%?!

Not much feminism.

[TDAS04]

Very interesting.

The the fact that the gender gap wasn’t larger on the last question is a bit funny. Also the hostility the poll show’s Americans had towards a hypothetical atheist president confirms what I have heard about the attitude in the 1950s, that some religion was better than no religion.

Not too many surprises overall. I’m a bit surprised that I wasn’t very surprised with the data.

[the artist formerly known as catmusic]

as always, the young people lead the change towards the future.

[RINO Tom]

Very interesting.

The the fact that the gender gap wasn’t larger on the last question is a bit funny. Also the hostility the poll show’s Americans had towards a hypothetical atheist president confirms what I have heard about the attitude in the 1950s, that some religion was better than no religion.

Not too many surprises overall. I’m a bit surprised that I wasn’t very surprised with the data.

I rarely see this discussed (probably because it goes against the narrative that religion just linearly declines as scientific advancements keep coming), but I have read a few times that religiosity in the 1950s was actually significantly higher than in the early Twentieth Century.  This would jive with many historians' assertions that people tend to become more religious during or right after a decade of severe distress (e.g., World War II and the threat of nuclear war - the latter of which would also carry with it a component of not wanting to be like the "godless Communists").

[Continential]

Here is what today's data says: 

	2015	2019	Change
	%	%	(pct. pts.)
Black	92	96	4
Catholic	93	95	2
Hispanic	91	95	4
A woman	92	94	2
Jewish	91	93	2
An evangelical Christian	73	80	7
Gay or lesbian	74	76	2
Under the age of 40	--	71	--
Muslim	60	66	6
Over the age of 70	--	63	--
An atheist	58	60	2
A socialist	47	47	0