Would Americans vote for a female president? New poll reveals ‘youth paradox’

Millions of Americans are willing to vote for a female presidential candidate — as demonstrated by the 2016 and 2024 elections.

But a sizable slice of the electorate still remains wary of sending a woman to the White House, according to a new American University poll.

These skeptics — in what may come as a surprise — tend to be younger.

While young adults expressed strong support for women in politics, they were the least likely to say they would back a female candidate for the nation’s highest office, resulting in what’s been described as a “youth paradox.”

A significant portion of respondents, including half of Republicans, also reported personally knowing someone who opposes voting for a woman.

The survey, conducted on behalf of the university’s Women and Politics Institute, sampled 801 registered voters Sept. 3-6, and it has a margin of error of 3.46 percentage points.

It comes nearly one year after former Vice President Kamala Harris was defeated in the 2024 election, becoming the second woman to lose a general presidential election in a country that has never had a female president. In 2024, President Donald Trump won 46% of the youth vote, up from 36% in 2020, according to data from Tufts University.

Women in elected office

The poll first asked respondents about the number of women in political office in the U.S.

A majority, 54%, said there are too few women in government positions, while 35% said the current amount is about right. Just 11% said there are too many women in power.

Here, there was a sizable gender divide. Fifty-eight percent of women said there are too few women in political positions, while 49% of men said the same.

Republicans were also far more likely than Democrats to say there are an appropriate number of women in office.

Importance of electing women

Respondents were also asked: “How important is it to elect more women to political office?”

The vast majority, 83%, said it is very or somewhat important to elect women to positions of power.

This figure includes 92% of Democrats and 77% of Republicans and 86% of women versus 80% of men.

Additionally, 91% of 18-34-year-olds said elevating women into government positions is important, while 81% or 80% of the other age cohorts said the same.

Know someone who wouldn’t vote for a female president?

When asked if they personally know someone who would not vote for a female presidential candidate, 60% said they do not, while 40% said they do.

Republicans were slightly more likely than Democrats to say they know someone who is against casting their ballot for a woman — 50% versus 45%.

But an even larger generational gap emerged. Among adults under 50, 46% said they know someone who wouldn’t vote for a female presidential candidate. Meanwhile, 34% of those 50 and older said the same, resulting in a 12-point gap.

Would you vote for a female presidential candidate?

Lastly, the survey asked respondents if they themselves would be open to voting for a “qualified” female presidential candidate. A large majority, 82%, said yes, while 18% said no.

But here, a noticeable generational rift appeared.

Among men and women 50 years and older, 87% said they would be willing to consider voting for a female presidential candidate.

Meanwhile, 80% of men under 50 and 75% of women under 50 said the same.

In an analysis of the findings, the institute said, “A notable ‘youth paradox’ exists, where younger voters, while generally supportive of women in office, are actually the least open to electing a female president.”

This story was originally published October 6, 2025 at 9:53 AM with the headline "Would Americans vote for a female president? New poll reveals ‘youth paradox’."