Some highlights of data from exit polls conducted for The
Associated Press and television networks Tuesday. Numbers are
preliminary.
Some highlights of data from exit polls conducted for The Associated Press and television networks Tuesday. Numbers are preliminary.
SWEEPING SUPPORT
Barack Obama’s support among California voters cut across racial, gender and class lines. The Democratic president-elect appealed to voters regardless of education level.
GOP SUPPORT FLAGS
Among all races, support for the Republican presidential candidate dropped compared to the 2004 election. The trend was especially notable among white Californians, who narrowly supported George W. Bush in his re-election bid but backed Obama this year.
AGE DIFFERENCES
Some of Obama’s most tepid support came from voters 65 and over, who split evenly between the two candidates. Voters under 30 turned out overwhelmingly for Obama.
SPLIT ON SOCIAL ISSUES
The difference in attitudes between the state’s youngest and oldest voters was stark on two contentious ballot measures. Voters 65 and over heavily supported initiatives favoring a ban on gay marriage and parental notification prior to abortion. Voters 18 to 29 strongly opposed both measures.
BLACKS BACK BAN
Blacks turning out in droves to support Obama also threw their support strongly behind Proposition 8, which would overturn the state Supreme Court decision allowing gay marriage. Opposition to the ban held a slight edge among whites, while Lations and Asians were split.
OBAMA DRAWS NEW VOTERS
The Obama campaign’s effort to attract new voters to the polls appeared to pay off in California. More than two-thirds of first-time voters said they voted for the Democrat.
ECONOMIC WORRIES
Six out of 10 California voters called the economy the most important issue facing the country, a figure in line with voters polled nationwide. Of the majority of the state’s voters who called the condition of the nation’s economy “poor,” two-thirds supported Obama.
RACE, AGE NOT FACTORS
Nine out of 10 California voters said race was not an important factor in determining who they backed for president. About eight out of 10 said that age was not an important factor.
MINDS MADE UP
Six in 10 voters said they had made up their minds on the gay marriage ban initiative earlier than September. A similar number said they had already decided how they would vote on parental notification for abortions by the end of August.
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The survey of 2,309 California voters was conducted for AP by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International. Most were interviewed in a random sample of 30 precincts statewide Tuesday; 765 who voted early or absentee were interviewed by landline telephone over the last week. Results for the full sample were subject to sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points, higher for subgroups.
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Methodology details: http://surveys.ap.org/exitpolls/
