POLITICAL NOTES: Anatomy of the Electorate

The Republican Party is unmistakably a minority party and cannot win the 1960 presidential election without capturing an overwhelming majority of the independent votes. So, in effect, reported the Gallup poll this week after a sampling of 9,415 voters; only 30% said they considered themselves Republicans, as against 47% who said they were Democrats and a remarkable 23% who classified themselves as Independents. (Back in early 1956, the Gallup poll estimated the party leanings at 40% Republican, 52% Democratic, 8% Independent or undecided. An estimated 15% of the Democrats voted for Ike that year, plus about 70% of the neither-nors.)

Today, more professional and business people and more college-trained voters are Republican, according to Gallup, but in all other categories the Democrats lead. The anatomy of the electorate:

Rep. Dem. Ind. SEX

men 28% 47% 25%

women 32 47 21

AGE 21-29 23 45 32

30-49 27 48 25

50 and older 35 47 18

RACE

Negroes 23 54 23

whites 31 46 23

RELIGION

Jews 9 66 25

Catholics 18 57 25

Protestants 36 43 21

EDUCATION

grade school 27 54 19

high school 29 47 24

college 37 35 28

OCCUPATION

unskilled workers 23 55 22

skilled workers 23 52 25

white collar 30 45 25

farmers 36 47 17

bus. & professional 37 35 28

UNION TIES

union families 20 57 23

non-union families 34 43 23

COMMUNITY SIZE over 50,000 24 51 25

2,500 to 50,000 33 41 26

less than 2,500 37 42 21

REGION

the South 22 59 19

rest of U.S. 32 43 25