Explore 24: Married and Unmarried Voters

Nick Palmer
3 min readSep 11, 2024

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Does being married lead to a different voting pattern?

Photo by visuals on Unsplash

“Married people also have built-in social and emotional support in each other, are less likely to participate in risky behaviors (such as problem drinking), and have better economic conditions compared to single people.” The observations of a study on the behaviors of single and married lifestyles by Dalhousie University

Lifestyle can be a significant indicator of how a person will vote, and marriage is one of the most significant changes that can occur in someone’s life. Marriage is one of the items political scientists like to track because it can be a barometer of how citizens with a slightly conservative tilt view on specific issues in society.

Married and Unmarried Voters

The most significant divide is between the unmarried and married. Married people tend to be reliable Republican voters for every election this century, while those not married tend to vote overwhelmingly Democratic. This is one of the starkest changes in exit polling, where a change in lifestyle can completely change someone’s political philosophy. With the election season of talking heads debating the topics of the economy, immigration, and safety the married and unmarried divide could grow even larger.

Married and Unmarried Men

Looking at the male vote married men are solidly Republican while unmarried men are closer to 50/50 with a slight lean to the Democrats over the last decade. The Trump campaign is targeting unmarried men trying to mobilize these voters. The Harris team is trying to counter with an aggressive advertising campaign stressing her background, hoping to improve her margins or prevent them from falling to the levels that Hillary Clinton received in 2016.

Married and Unmarried Woman

Breaking down married and unmarried women, you see that even though married women are more likely to vote Republican than their unmarried counterparts, the margin is closer to 50/50. Female voters are likely being bombarded by ads from the Harris campaign and other liberal groups on the topics of abortion, health care, and the tone and tenner from Donald Trump, which has driven females away from the Republican party.

Data Points Who Will Determine Who Wins

-Who wins married woman
-Do unmarried women give Kamala Harris 60% of the Vote?
-Do married men continue to get closer to 50/50
-Do unmarried men go towards Donald Trump, and if so, with what margin

Previous Explore 24 Articles

-Gender Gap

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Nick Palmer
Nick Palmer

Written by Nick Palmer

Proud Yooper, TRIO Director, Wannabe Scholar, Recovering Politician

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