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August 30, 2006

Pollster: R.I. women cynical about political process

Rhode Island women tend to be disengaged from politics and many don't regard political activity as an effective way to influence their world, according to interpretations of a survey released today by the Women's Fund of Rhode Island.

The telephone survey of 507 women age 18 to 75, conducted last week, found that Rhode Island women are focused on their local communities, willing to volunteer, committed to voting, but "cynical" about the political process, pollster Anna Greenberg said in presenting the results today.

A key reason, Greenberg asserted, is that Rhode Island has had few women
elected to statewide office. This leaves women with the sense that their
elected representatives do not have personal experience with the
"kitchen-table issues" that worry women, Greenberg said.

In a finding that Greenberg called "stunning," only 13 percent of the
women surveyed believe their vote has an impact nationally (compared
with 47 percent who believe their vote has its greatest impact locally).

This is in spite of the fact that Rhode Island voters could help tip the balance of power in the U.S. Senate if they elect a Democrat in November, and that in a small state, each vote carries more weight.

Read another story on the survey from today's Journal.

-- Journal staff writer Felice Freyer

The survey was done as a followup to a 2002 study of status of Rhode
Island women. While the 2002 study revealed the circumstances of women's
lives, the poll, "tells us how women feel about their lives and how
their feelings intersect with their politics," said Marcia Cone-Tighe,
executive director of the Women's Fund.

The Women's Fund, founded in 2001 with the help of the Rhode Island
Foundation, seeks to "advance equity and social justice for women and
girls" by issuing grants, conducting studies, and organizing leaders and
resources.

Cone-Tighe said that the Women's Fund would use the survey results to
figure out ways to engage Rhode Island women in political activity.

The survey was conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, a research and
consulting firm in Washington, D.C.

Posted by Jack Perry at 2:06 PM | Permalink

August 30, 2006

Pollster: R.I. women cynical about political process

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