Women's rights issues and the feminist movement enjoy historically high levels of public support, according to the newly released 1995 Women's Equality Poll, conducted by Louis Harris and Peter Harris and Associates for the Feminist Majority Foundation.
"One fact stands out: the more the public knows about women's rights ranging from affirmative action to abortion, the more favorable they are. Despite the persistent right-wing attacks ,on feminism, our popularity has never been greater," said Eleanor Smeal, President of the Feminist Majority Foundation, who released the results at a Washington, D.C. news conference with poll taker Louis Harris and Elaine Jones, Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
Women Identify As Feminists by a margin of 51% to 35%, a majority of women identify as feminists. Among women under 30, 63% call themselves feminists.
When women and men are told that the definition of a feminist is "someone who supports political, economic, and social equality for women," the number of women and men who identify as feminists soars. Overall a 69% to 27% majority identify then as feminists, with 71% of women and 61% of men calling themselves feminists.
Public attitudes towards the women's movement and civil rights movement are very favorable. Seventy-eight percent favor the civil rights movement. The movement to strengthen women's rights receives a 71% favorable rating.
By contrast, few people view the antiabortion movement (38%), House Speaker Newt Gingrich (32%), or conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh (29%), favorably.
Affirmative Action Popular
One of the largest polls on affirmative action to date, the Women's Equality Poll revealed strong support among the sample of 1364 nationwide respondents and 800 respondents in California for affirmative action.
Seventy-nine percent agree that there should be programs that set up objectives - not rigid quotas - to allow equal opportunities for women and minorities in getting hired, promoted, and receiving government contracts.
The survey revealed that initial public support for a California initiative to ban affirmative action - 81 % in the national sample and 78% in the California sample - shrinks dramatically when the public is informed about the possible consequences of the initiative.
The proposed California initiative reads: "The state will not use race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin as a criterion for either discriminating against, or, granting preferential treatment to, any individual or group in the operation of the state's system of employment, public education, or public contracting."
Support for the initiative collapses from 81% to 29% when respondents in the national poll leam that the measure will outlaw affirmative action programs for women and minorities. Only 30% of those who initially favored the measure would continue to support it if the initiative discouraged programs to help women and minorities achieve equal opportunities. Support for the measure drops to only 31% if it discourages women and minorityowned businesses from competing.
The public also differentiates affirmative action from preferential treatment. By a margin of 61 % to 31 %, a majority of white Americans disagree with the claim that "Affirmative action really means taking unqualified women and minorities and giving them preferential treatment over qualified white men."
"People see affirmative action and preferential treatment as opposites, not synonyms. Affirmative action means creating equal opportunities, while preferential treatment means the rankest kind of nepotism and favoritism," said Harris. "The use of these two terms interchangeably by affirmative action opponents, the media, and pollsters is nothing short of full-fledged deception."
"Angry White Men" A Fallacy The poll also counters the myth that "angry white men" will be the swing voters in the 1996 election. White men are neither angry about their jobs, nor do the majority of them oppose affirmative action, according to the survey.
Forty-eight percent of white men reject the notion that affirmative action results in reverse discrimination; 46% of white men agree with this statement. The white men who believe that affirmative action produces reverse discrimination comprise only 19% of the population and 21% of the electorate, are predominately middle-management, and are more Republican and conservative than the nation as a whole. These ideologically conservative men are far more satisfied with their jobs, pay levels, and promotion opportunities than are employed women.
Support High for Abortion, RU 486 upport for abortion rights in the p i hits an all-time high of 74%. Only 18% of respondents actually oppose a women's right to choose an abortion with the advice of her physician. Support for RU 486 has climbed to 66%.
The public also overwhelmingly supports federal action to stem antiabortion violence at clinics. Seventysix percent favor sending in marshals and taking other actions to protect physicians and clinic staff from violence.
The poll also finds that political candidates who support abortion rights and affirmative action gain electoral advantage. Harris identified an abortion rights swing vote of 7 full points that could produce the margin of victory for prochoice supporters in the 1996 elections.
Gingrich Agenda Rejected
Not only is Gingrich unpopular with the American public, but so is his legislative agenda.
By a margin of 78% to 15%, the majority reject "eliminating programs providing pre-natal care and nutrition for poor mothers and infants." 81% of women and 75% of men hold this opinion.
Sixty percent of the public opposes "not giving welfare benefits to mothers under 18 who cannot support their children." Only 30% support this measure.
The public also opposes weakening the Food and Drug Administration (62% to 34%), releasing environmental control regulations (61% to 32%), repealing the assault weapons ban (63% to 32%), and increasing the military budget (53% to 39%).
Violence Against Women Pervasive An alarming 54% of the public personally knows of a case of a woman who has been physically abused by her husband or boyfriend. Sixty-one percent of respondents feel the police do not do enough to protect abused women.
The Women's Equality Poll was conducted between March 16 and April 2, 1995. The national results have a margin of error of +/- 2%. The margin of error for the California cross-section is +/- 3%.