With November’s elections behind us, exit polls can now help explain how exactly things played out at the polls. The American Enterprise Institute For Public Policy Research released their analysis of this year’s House exit polls, and within it, a picture emerges of this election season’s altered, right-leaning electorate.
From their findings:
- Forty-one percent of the electorate were self-identified conservatives. In 2006, only 32% of exit poll respondents identified with the same label. In comparison, self-identified liberals made up 20% of this year’s electorate; in 2006, the percentage was identical.
- Independents favored Republican candidates far more than they supported Democrats. Thirty-nine percent of respondents who identified themselves as indepedents voted for Democrats, whereas 55% went for Republicans. In 2006, these numbers were nearly flipped– 57% voted Democrat, while 39% voted Republican.
- Women favored Republicans this election more than they have in the past. With 49% voting for Democrats this year, a dropoff is clear from the 55% who voted Democrat in 2006. Both white women (57%) and white men (62%) went Republican this election, in typical fashion. The white working class, historically regarded as a political swing group, voted for Republicans by a record 30% — 63% to 33%.
- The past two elections saw voters with family incomes over $100,000 narrowly vote more Republican than Democrat. This voting gap increased significantly this election — 58% of voters in this group voted Republican, whereas only 40% voted for a Democrat. In a similar vein, suburban voters (who made up 50% of the electorate) favored Republicans 54%-43%; in 2006 and 2008, the majority of suburban residents voted for Democrats.
- In 2006, voters over the age of 65 split their votes equally between Republicans and Democrats. This election, older voters favored Republican candidates 58%-40%.
- Thirty percent of self-identified gays, lesbians, and bisexuals voted for Republicans this year; in 2006, this number was 24% and in 2008, it was 19%.
This year’s exit polling was conducted by Edison Research on behalf of ABC News, Associated Press, CBS News, CNN, Fox News and NBC News. There were a total of 17,504 respondents.
