Men, Women and the Dynamics of Presidential Approval

Abstract

Although commentary on the 'gender gap' is a staple of political discourse in the United States, most analyses of the dynamics of presidential approval have ignored possible gender differences in the forces driving approval ratings of US presidents. This article analyses gender differences in the impact of economic evaluations and political interventions on the dynamics of presidential approval between 1978 and 1997. The analyses are made possible by disaggregating 240 monthly Survey of Consumers datasets gathered over this period. These data show that women's economic evaluations are consistently more pessimistic than men's, regardless of who occupied the Oval Office. Analyses of rival presidential approval models reveal that a national prospective economic evaluation model performs best for women, but a personal prospective model works best for men. Parameter estimates indicate that economic evaluations accounted for substantial proportions of gender differences in presidential approval in the post-Carter era. Men and women also reacted differently to presidential transitions, with approval increasing more among men when Reagan replaced Carter, and more among women when Clinton replaced Bush. The hypothesis that men are more susceptible than women to rally effects induced by domestic and international crises and wars does not receive consistent support.

Gender and Redistribution: Experimental Evidence

“…Some survey studies focus explicitly on differences in economic expectations between women and men, finding that women are more pessimistic about the economy (Clarke et al, 2005). Smith and Powell (1990) show that among college graduates, men are also more likely to overestimate their future earnings.…”

Understanding Men’s and Women’s Political Interests: Evidence from a Study of Gendered Political Attitudes

“…Our research adds to the literature concerning gender and political attitudes, but it also contributes to a growing body of work on model heterogeneity (Bartle, 2005;Clarke et al , 2005). Advances in the study of voting have identified a variety of motivators of behaviour, but attempts to identify the sources, which drive these variations, have been somewhat lacking.…”

Aprobación presidencial en Chile 2000-2012: Sus determinantes y su efecto en la toma de decisiones

“…Autores como Clarke, Stewart, Ault & Elliot (2005), tomando como caso de estudio a Estados Unidos, sostienen que muchos de los análisis de la aprobación presidencial han ignorado las posibles diferencias causadas por la variable género en la evaluación de los presidentes norteamericanos. De esta manera los autores analizan el impacto de la variable género en la evaluación de la economía y las dinámicas de la aprobación presidencial entre los años 1978 -1997.…”