The most important election of a lifetime? Women weigh in on Trump, Harris in new poll

A large share of American women believe the 2024 election will be of historic importance and are plugged into politics at a higher rate than usual, new polling reveals.

In the latest survey of women by the Women & Politics Institute, 48% of respondents agreed with the statement that “this will be the most important election of my lifetime so far.”

The majority of Democrats, 56%, agreed, compared to 49% of Republicans and 38% of independents.

Even among those who believe a past election was more important, an additional 37% of respondents agreed that “this election will be more important than most.” This figure includes 41% of Republicans and 35% of Democrats and independents.

The survey, conducted by the Benenson Strategy Group online between Sept. 20 and 24, sampled 829 women who are registered voters. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

Women say they’re more interested in politics than usual

The poll also found that the majority of women, 59%, have become more interested in politics in the last several years. In contrast, 16% said their interest has decreased for this election cycle.

Similarly, engagement in politics has gone up among women.

Two-thirds of respondents said they have become “more engaged with and tuned in to politics than usual because of everything going on this election cycle.” Thirty-four percent said they have become more disengaged.

Those engagement trends were most pronounced among older women.

A stark divide also emerged in how women view Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

A majority, 55%, view Harris favorably, while 41% view her unfavorably. In contrast, 40% have a favorable opinion of Trump, while the majority, 57%, have an unfavorable view of him.

A slim majority of independent women, 51%, have a favorable view of Harris, and 38% have an unfavorable view. Regarding Trump, just 34% have a favorable view, while 57% have an unfavorable view.

With one month to go until Election Day, Harris holds a sizable advantage in support among women, with 54% backing her and 39% backing Trump.

More than 90% of Republicans and Democrats support their party’s candidate. Meanwhile, among independents, 50% support Harris and 32% support Trump.

When asked about the reasons they would vote for Harris, 35% of women agreed that “she would make progress on the issues you care about,” and 32% agreed that “she stands up for values like tolerance and equality.”

When women were asked about the reasons they would cast their ballot for Trump, 25% agreed that “he is more capable in the presidential role.” Twenty-three percent agreed that “his economic policies would be better for you.”

Women also said they trusted Harris more to address a handful of key issues.

Fifty-five percent said they trusted her to address abortion, while 27% said they trusted Trump more on this issue. Similarly, 51% said they trusted the vice president to address inflation and the cost of living, while 37% said they trusted Trump more.

Her advantage over Trump with women voters was smaller when it came to the economy (46% versus 38%) and immigration (44% versus 40%).

Further, 54% said they do not support Trump’s leadership style or policies, while 28% said they do. Eighteen percent said they like his policies but don’t care for his leadership style.

Additionally, 53% of respondents said they believe comments made about women by Trump and his running mate JD Vance were offensive, while 15% disagreed. About one-third, 32%, said they believe their comments were overblown and taken out of context.

This story was originally published October 7, 2024 at 10:18 AM with the headline "The most important election of a lifetime? Women weigh in on Trump, Harris in new poll."