Support for war with Iraq divided by gender and race
NICOLE WILLIAMS assistant news editor
Issue date: 4/4/03 Section: News
A recent poll shows racial and gender divisions regarding support for a war with Iraq.
The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press poll found that 65 percent of Caucasians were in favor of a war with Iraq, while 25 percent of Caucasians were opposed to military action. Forty-one percent of African-Americans said that they are in favor of military action, while 48 percent were opposed the war. Among Hispanics, the Pew Hispanic Center poll found that 48 percent of Hispanics overall approved of military action, yet native-born Hispanics had a higher approval at 52 percent than foreign-born Hispanics, whom polled at 46 percent. Dr. Robert Swansbrough, political science professor and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said culturalization contributes to the gender gap concerning the war.
"On war, we have historically found that in polling women and men, women are less-inclined to support war conflict because of their children and husbands, and are very, very concerned in terms of the human costs of war," said Swansborough. "Traditionally, there has always been a little bit of a difference between the attitudes of women and men."
Though the women in the Pew poll made up 56 percent of those supporting the war, while 32 percent were against war, Swansbrough said that after Sept.11, the attitudes of women slightly changed, and the gender gap began to close.
"The interesting thing happened after 9/11, because that was on our shores," said Swansbrough. "With such horrifying television images, for a while women, particularly in the early stages of the war on terror focusing on Afghanistan, were almost more hawkish than men because of their fear that this was going to harm their families, and it was here in the United States directly."
However, the gap is not completely closed between women of different political parties.
"On the war on Iraq, we've found that gap opening again, with women much more dubious about the wisdom of war," said Swansbrough. "We're talking about Democratic and Independent women that that are spreading the gap now."
The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press poll found that 65 percent of Caucasians were in favor of a war with Iraq, while 25 percent of Caucasians were opposed to military action. Forty-one percent of African-Americans said that they are in favor of military action, while 48 percent were opposed the war. Among Hispanics, the Pew Hispanic Center poll found that 48 percent of Hispanics overall approved of military action, yet native-born Hispanics had a higher approval at 52 percent than foreign-born Hispanics, whom polled at 46 percent. Dr. Robert Swansbrough, political science professor and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said culturalization contributes to the gender gap concerning the war.
"On war, we have historically found that in polling women and men, women are less-inclined to support war conflict because of their children and husbands, and are very, very concerned in terms of the human costs of war," said Swansborough. "Traditionally, there has always been a little bit of a difference between the attitudes of women and men."
Though the women in the Pew poll made up 56 percent of those supporting the war, while 32 percent were against war, Swansbrough said that after Sept.11, the attitudes of women slightly changed, and the gender gap began to close.
"The interesting thing happened after 9/11, because that was on our shores," said Swansbrough. "With such horrifying television images, for a while women, particularly in the early stages of the war on terror focusing on Afghanistan, were almost more hawkish than men because of their fear that this was going to harm their families, and it was here in the United States directly."
However, the gap is not completely closed between women of different political parties.
"On the war on Iraq, we've found that gap opening again, with women much more dubious about the wisdom of war," said Swansbrough. "We're talking about Democratic and Independent women that that are spreading the gap now."
