U.S. Election: Canadians keen on Kamala, but say women generally walk a harder road to high political office -

Men under 55 most likely to be critical of Harris: one-quarter call her ‘dishonest’, one-in-five ‘corrupt’

August 14, 2024 – Presumptive Democratic nominee for president Kamala Harris is riding a wave of enthusiasm as preparations are made to confirm her candidacy at the Democratic National Convention next week.

New data from non-profit Angus Reid Institutes finds excitement for Harris has spread beyond the border of the United States. Two-thirds of Canadians (64%) hold favourable views of the current vice president, while half (50%) say they are “hopeful” when they consider the prospect of her winning the election in November. The most commonly chosen words Canadians would use to describe Harris: “strong” (40%) and “inspiring” (35%).

“Relieved” (35%) is also a common emotion for Canadians as they consider Harris potentially stepping into the White House as president. That, of course, is as much a statement about Harris’ rival, former President Donald Trump, as Harris herself. Three-quarters (76%) of Canadians hold an unfavourable view of Trump, as Canadians said in July his potential re-election had them “worried” (46%), “dumbfounded” (36%) and “disappointed” (31%).

Positive views of Harris are not uniform among Canadians, however. She faces more criticism from men under 55 than other demographics. Two-in-five men that age hold unfavourable views, and younger men are the most likely to describe Harris as “dishonest”, “arrogant”, or “corrupt”.

As Harris looks to become the second woman to be nominated as a presidential candidate by a major party, and the second Black American and first South Asian American to hold the country’s highest office, there has been much discussion of what role gender and race will play during this election cycle. Canadians overwhelmingly believe it is easier for men to get elected to high political office (73%) than say gender plays no role in elections (22%). This despite at least half saying there is no difference between men and women when it comes to listening to voters (51%), seeking compromise across the political divide (50%), having a clear legislative vision (64%), making tough decisions (61%) and performing competently on the job overall (61%). For all five factors, where Canadians see an advantage, they are more likely to give it to women than men.

Click below to see Key Takeaways from the data

Three-quarters say it's easier for men to get elected to high political office

One-in-five say neither men nor women face additional barriers when they enter politics. Men are more likely to say this, but a majority believe women face a more difficult path to being elected.

Half of Canadians say they're 'hopeful' when they think about Harris winning in November

On the balance, Canadians express much more positive emotions about the prospect of Harris becoming president than they do when they consider the possibility of a second term for Trump. One-third (35%) say they would be “relieved” if Harris won; approaching half “worry” about a Trump victory.

Men more critical of Harris than women

Men under 55 are more likely than others to describe Harris as “corrupt”, “dishonest” or “arrogant”. They are also more likely to say they have an unfavourable view of the presumptive Democratic nominee for president.

The Full Story

INDEX

Part One: Canadians on Kamala

Two-thirds of Canadians hold favourable views; women more enthusiastic than men
Men more likely to call Harris ‘dishonest’, ‘corrupt’, ‘arrogant’
Canadians regard potential Harris presidency with hope, relief
Is being Black and South Asian an advantage or disadvantage for Harris?

Part Two: Women in politics

Canadians more likely to say women better at listening to voters, seeking compromise
But most people believe it’s easier for men to get elected

Part One: Canadians on Kamala

The Democratic president candidate swap from current President Joe Biden to current Vice President Kamala Harris has changed both the tone and emotion of the 2024 presidential election.

Instead of a third straight rematch between an octogenarian (Biden, age 81) and a near octogenarian (former President Donald Trump, 78), Harris’ relative youthfulness (she turns 60 this year) has injected enthusiasm south of the border into the race. Rallies for Harris and recently minted running mate Tim Walz have brought out tens of thousands of supporters as the Democratic campaign looks to boost their odds in key swing states.

Two-thirds of Canadians hold favourable views; women more enthusiastic than men

North of the border, Canadians view the new Democratic candidate – whose time in Montreal in high school and college has been well-documented in Canadian media – with a much more positive lens than her Republican rival. Two-thirds (64%) of Canadians say they have a favourable view of Harris, one-quarter (25%) unfavourable and one-in-ten (11%) say they don’t know enough to say. Comparatively, one-in-five Canadians (20%) say they view Trump positively, three-quarters (76%) negatively and one-in-20 (6%) offer no opinion.

While approaching half of all demographics say they view Harris favourably, she performs much better among women, and especially those older than 54, four-in-five (79%) of whom say they have a positive impression of the likely Democratic candidate for president. In fact, Harris garners much more positive views among older men as well. Men older than 54 are more likely to say they have favourable views of Harris than women under 55, though a larger proportion of women that age are unsure (women 18-34, 18%; women 35-54, 14%, see detailed tables).

Canadians historically have had more positive assessments of Democrats than Republicans, however Harris is outpacing one notable comparison when it comes to likeability – 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. In September 2016, a majority (55%) of Canadians said they “disliked” (31%) or “disliked very much” (24%) Clinton. The rest (45%) said they liked her (38%) or liked her “very much” (7%). Though measured on a different scale, Harris clearly generates more positive views.

Men more likely to call Harris ‘dishonest’, ‘corrupt’, ‘arrogant’

Canadians were asked to choose five words from a list (see the detailed tables for the full list) to describe Harris. Following those generally favourable views above, Canadians are more likely to use positive terms – “strong” (40%), “inspiring” (35%), “strategic” (30%), “charismatic” (29%), and “honest” (29%) – than negative ones. However, men under 55 are more critical than others. One quarter of men aged 35- to 54-years-old describe Harris as either “corrupt” (23%) or “dishonest” (23%), while men under 35 are the most likely to call her “arrogant” (22%):

Canadians regard potential Harris presidency with hope, relief

It follows then, that men under 55 are also the most likely to be “disappointed” or “worried” about the prospect of Harris winning in November. However, “hopeful” is also a top choice among that demographic. Women, meanwhile, are more likely than men to say they are “inspired” as Harris attempts to break the glass ceiling of the Oval Office.

Overall, half (50%) of Canadians say they are “hopeful” about a potential President Harris, while one-third (35%) say they are relieved.

That sense of relief perhaps has much to do with the alternative of a return to the White House by Trump, a scenario that has been met with plenty of consternation and even fear by Canadians in previous data taken by the Angus Reid Institute.

Related:

Indeed, when ARI offered Canadians the chance last month to select the main emotions and feelings that come to them when considering a second Trump term, “worried” (46%) was the top choice, followed by “dumbfounded” (36%). “Disappointed” (31%) and “afraid” (28%) also ranked highly.

The balance of emotions Canadians say are brought on by a potential Harris victory is much more positive than those brought on by a Trump return:

Is being Black and South Asian an advantage or disadvantage for Harris?

Harris’ campaign is already historic. When the Democratic National Convention wraps up later this month, its expected Harris will become only the second Black American to be the presidential nominee for a major political party. She will also follow Hillary Clinton as only the second woman to be in that position as well.

Unfortunately, the campaign has already seen ugly attacks on Harris’ identity.

“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black,” Trump said to National Association of Black Journalists in July. “So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?”

A Republican congressman called Harris a “DEI vice-president”, a reference to diversity, equity and inclusion programs that call for fair treatment and participation in the workplace for people of groups that had been historically discriminated against.

Canadians are split as to whether they believe Harris’ background as a South Asian and Black American will be an advantage or a disadvantage, with a plurality (33%) believing it will make no difference. Canadians older than 54, and men under 35, are more likely to say it will boost her efforts than not, if they believe it will make a difference. Women under 55 are more likely to believe it will be a hindrance, but are also as likely to say it won’t affect the campaign or they aren’t sure:

Non-white Canadians are also split as to whether Harris’ South Asian and Black background is a disadvantage, advantage, or will play no role in the campaign. However, compared to white Canadians, they are slightly less likely to say “it will make no difference” and slightly more likely to believe Harris’ background will play a role during the presidential election:

Part Two: Women in politics

Harris follows in the steps of Clinton’s 2016 campaign, which broke ground for future female candidates for president. It also revealed potential hurdles future women would have to cross. In the post-mortem of her unsuccessful campaign, Clinton believed that sexism played a role in her defeat. “Sexism and misogyny played a role in the 2016 presidential election,” wrote Clinton in her 2017 book What Happened. “Exhibit A is that the flagrantly sexist candidate won.”

As recently as May this year, Clinton also said that some women voters held her to an impossible standard, believing they didn’t vote for her because she was not “perfect” after a last-minute investigation into her private email server cast doubt on her judgement.

Canadians more likely to say women better at listening to voters, seeking compromise

As Harris begins this historic race to a potentially monumental finish line, Canadians were asked to reflect on women in politics more generally.

Overall, most Canadians say there is “no difference” between men and women when it comes to having a clear legislative vision, doing a commanding and competent job, and making tough decisions. Canadians are split as to whether one gender or neither have an advantage when it comes to listening to voters and seeking compromise across the political divide. For those latter two, where Canadians ascribe an advantage, they overwhelmingly give it to women.

They also tend to lean towards believing if either gender has an advantage, it is women who are better coming into office with a vision for policy, competence, and the ability to make difficult choices:

Majorities of women believe their gender is better at seeking compromise and listening to the will of voters. When it comes to other factors, majorities of women believe neither gender has an advantage.

Across the board, majorities of men say there is no difference between men and women when it comes to the major elements of important political jobs. Where they see an edge, they lean towards saying women are better than men – except when it comes to making tough decisions. One-in-five (21%) men believe women are worse than men when it comes to making difficult choices in office, outnumbering the one-in-eight (12%) who say women are better at this than men:

But most people believe it’s easier for men to get elected

Despite Canadians’ belief that gender does not make a difference when it comes to holding office or see women with an advantage when it comes to certain aspects of the jobs of important political leaders, three-quarters (73%) say it is easier for men to get elected. One-in-five (22%) believe there is no difference when it comes to the odds of men or women winning elections, while one-in-20 say (5%) women face less resistance to their electoral campaigns.

Since 2016, and after watching Clinton’s bid for president end with her election loss to Trump that year, Canadians are more likely to say that it is easier for men to be elected than women. Correspondingly, the proportion of those who believe men and women are on equal footing when it comes to succeeding in politics has shrunk from two-in-five (38%) to fewer than one-quarter (22%):

Overwhelming majorities of women say men encounter less barriers to political success. Majorities of men agree, though there are more sizable minorities among that gender who believe it makes no difference:

A majority of supporters of all the four major Canadian political parties believe it is easier for men to get elected to high political office. However, those who would vote Conservative if an election were held today are much more likely (34%) than the supporters of other parties to say neither women nor men face additional barriers because of their gender to get elected:

Survey Methodology:

The Angus Reid Institute conducted an online survey from July 31 to Aug. 2, 2024 among a representative randomized sample of 1,609 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding. The survey was self-commissioned and paid for by ARI.

For detailed results by age, gender, region, education, and other demographics, click here.

For the full release including methodology, click here.

For the questionnaire, click here.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Shachi Kurl, President: 604.908.1693 shachi.kurl@angusreid.org @shachikurl

Jon Roe, Research Associate: 825.437.1147 jon.roe@angusreid.org