‘US electorate divided, polarised’
8 Nov 2012 6:34 AM IST
American electorate was deeply divided ideologically and exceedingly polarised in their political beliefs in the just concluded presidential election, according to an exit poll on Wednesday.
The deep ideological divide was reflected in the way Americans voted in the 2012 presidential election, in which incumbent Barack Obama defeated his Republican challenger Mitt Romney in one of the fiercely fought polls in US history.
Forty-nine per cent of voters in the CBS exit poll want all or part of the 2010 health care law repealed, and 83 per cent of them voted for Romney. 44 per cent want the health care law left as is or expanded, and 87 per cent of them voted for the president. This ideological division extends to beliefs about the US economic system. Fifty-five per cent of voters believe that the economic system favours the wealthy; 71 per cent of them voted for Obama. Thirty-nine per cent said that the economic system if fair to most Americans and three-quarters of these voters supported Romney.
It's not just economic issues that divide the American public. Those surveyed in the poll split almost evenly when asked if they want their state to legally recognise same-sex marriage: 49 per cent said yes and 46 per cent said no. Obama received almost three-quarters of the votes of those who favour same-sex marriage, and Romney won the same fraction of those opposed. Almost eight in 10 whites who call themselves evangelical or born-again voted for Romney.
There were also deep geographic differences evident in support for Obama and his opponent. Obama won 70 per cent of voters living in big cities in the US, while Romney got 58 per cent of those living in small cities and rural areas.
Both the Obama and Romney campaigns fought hard for the women's vote this year.
The deep ideological divide was reflected in the way Americans voted in the 2012 presidential election, in which incumbent Barack Obama defeated his Republican challenger Mitt Romney in one of the fiercely fought polls in US history.
Forty-nine per cent of voters in the CBS exit poll want all or part of the 2010 health care law repealed, and 83 per cent of them voted for Romney. 44 per cent want the health care law left as is or expanded, and 87 per cent of them voted for the president. This ideological division extends to beliefs about the US economic system. Fifty-five per cent of voters believe that the economic system favours the wealthy; 71 per cent of them voted for Obama. Thirty-nine per cent said that the economic system if fair to most Americans and three-quarters of these voters supported Romney.
It's not just economic issues that divide the American public. Those surveyed in the poll split almost evenly when asked if they want their state to legally recognise same-sex marriage: 49 per cent said yes and 46 per cent said no. Obama received almost three-quarters of the votes of those who favour same-sex marriage, and Romney won the same fraction of those opposed. Almost eight in 10 whites who call themselves evangelical or born-again voted for Romney.
There were also deep geographic differences evident in support for Obama and his opponent. Obama won 70 per cent of voters living in big cities in the US, while Romney got 58 per cent of those living in small cities and rural areas.
Both the Obama and Romney campaigns fought hard for the women's vote this year.
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