Lifetime Television and REDBOOK Poll Shows Majority of Americans Think There Will Be a Woman President Within 10 Years

Lifetime Television and REDBOOK Poll Shows Majority of Americans Think There Will Be a Woman President Within 10 Years

- Women Viewed as More Trustworthy and Ethical, the Two Top Qualities Cited for Political Leaders Today -

- Senator Hillary Clinton Named the Most Welcomed Guest at Thanksgiving Day Dinner -

- Overwhelming Number Prefer Chelsea Clinton as the 'Presidential Daughter' to Run for the Oval Office -

NEW YORK, Nov. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2006 midterm elections created a seismic shift in the political landscape, including a record number of women elected to the House and Senate, and just this week, the first woman chosen to become Speaker of the House. Already, the 2008 presidential campaign season is underway, and there is at least one woman seriously considering a run for the White House. A new Lifetime Television "Every Woman Counts"/REDBOOK Magazine poll conducted November 10-13, among a nationally represented sample of more than 1,000 adults, shows that these advances for women are no fluke and are part of a dramatic new acceptance of and support for women's political leadership. Specifically:

Women Rule When it Comes to Trust and Ethics:
-- Women are perceived to be "trustworthy" more than three times as much
as men (21% for women vs. 6% for men). "Trustworthy" was cited by both
women and men as the top quality for electing a political leader.
-- Women also were thought to be more "ethical" than men, the second most
critical quality cited when choosing a leader. And four-in-ten
respondents thought a man was more likely to be the subject of a
scandal.
-- Roughly one-third of adults said they are more likely to vote in an
election where there's a female candidate; are more likely to believe
promises made by a female candidate; and more likely to pay attention
to political ads featuring a female candidate.

Today, Madam Speaker; Tomorrow Madam President:
-- A majority of adults said that a woman will be elected president by the
year 2016.
-- In just two years, the percentage of adults who think a woman will be
elected president in 2008 nearly doubled (8% in 2004 vs. 15% in 2006).

Women Still Have Ground to Gain:
-- Perhaps the harshest critics of women leaders are women themselves --
one-in-five women, across party lines, said that "women are not as
effective as men when it comes to politics."
-- Of the two top election issues cited -- the war in Iraq and jobs/the
economy -- men were deemed better than women at addressing both.
(Interestingly, reproductive rights of women was cited as the most
important issue when choosing a political leader by only 2% of women
and men, and stem cell research by only 4%.)
-- Though less than in 2004, still roughly 10% of adults think there will
never be a woman president.

Women vs. Men Voters:
-- Of married women voters, approximately 63% did not exactly replicate
their spouse's voting behavior, either by voting differently on all
candidates and issues, voting alike only on some candidates and issues,
or not knowing how their spouse voted or if their spouse voted at all.
-- While men and women agree that the war and jobs/the economy are the top
two issues driving their vote, the number three reason for women is
education, but terrorism for men.

And on a Lighter Note:
-- When asked which presidential daughter would be most likely to run for
nationally elected office in 2020, Chelsea Clinton was the overwhelming
choice (43%), far out-pacing Caroline Kennedy (20%) and both Bush
twins, Barbara Bush (10%) and Jenna Bush (6%).
-- Chelsea's mother was also the preferred dinner companion for
Thanksgiving Day as Senator Clinton (29%) narrowly winning over First
Lady Laura Bush (24%) and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice (23%).

Methodology:

The Lifetime/REDBOOK poll was conducted via nationally representative telephone survey by Opinion Research Corporation among 1,031 adults ages 18+ (518 men, 513 women) in the United States. The survey was completed during the period November 10-13. Full results available upon request.

REDBOOK is a women's lifestyle magazine that brings health, relationship, money, work, home, and emotional advice, as well as news about women's choices, opportunities, and achievements, to 10 million readers every month. REDBOOK is published by Hearst Magazines, a unit of Hearst Corporation (http://www.hearst.com/) and one of the world's largest publishers of monthly magazines, with a total of 18 U.S. titles and 145 international editions. Hearst reaches more adults than any other publisher of monthly magazines (76.3 million according to MRI, spring 2005). The company also publishes 19 magazines in the United Kingdom through its wholly owned subsidiary, The National Magazine Company Limited.

LIFETIME is the leader in women's television and one of the top-rated basic cable television networks. A diverse, multi-media company, LIFETIME is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. LIFETIME Television, LMN, Lifetime Real Women, Lifetime Home Entertainment and Lifetime Online (http://www.lifetimetv.com/) are part of LIFETIME Entertainment Services, a 50/50 joint venture of The Hearst Corporation and The Walt Disney Company.

Source: Lifetime Television; REDBOOK Magazine

CONTACT: Geralyn Lucas of Lifetime Television, +1-212-424-7066,
lucas@lifetimetv.com; or Letena Lindsay, +1-212-649-2577,
lslindsay@hearst.com, or Shara Glickman, +1-212-649-2321,
sglickman@hearst.com, both of REDBOOK

Web site: http://www.lifetimetv.com/
http://www.hearst.com/

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