THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF A NEW VOTING GAP MARITAL DIFFERENCES IN AMERICAN VOTING

There is now a marriage gap in presidential voting in the UnitedStates, with married people voting about 10%–15% moreRepublican than unmarried people. This voting difference developedin the 1972 election, and it is also evident in party identification.The proportion of unmarried people has doubled since 1964, sothis cleavage is important. The gap can be explained statisticallyin terms of race and income, but still may give politiciansthe opportunity to gain votes by appealing to voters on thebasis of family issues.