Overall, white voters (who made up 71% of the electorate in 2024) overwhelmingly voted for President Donald Trump by a 15-point margin (57%-42%). But as NBC’s Steve Kornacki highlighted in his latest polling, when you drill down by gender and education, there are “pronounced gender and education gaps” among white voters.
White men with and without a college degree, as well as white women without a college degree, all have net positive feelings toward Trump, led by white men without a college degree who approve of Trump by a 41-point margin. Only white women with a college degree have a negative view of Trump, but they really, really hate him by a 38-point margin.
The divergence between white women with a college degree and all other white voters extends to specific matters as well. White men with and without college degrees, as well as white women without college degrees, all approve of how Trump has handled immigration since taking office, with white men without a college degree approving by a 50-point margin. Only white women with a college degree disapprove of Trump’s success at ending illegal immigration at the southern border.
Kornacki also asked voters about so-called diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Respondents heard the following two statements about DEI and then asked which came closer to their own opinion:
“Statement A: We should continue DEI programs because diverse perspectives reflect our country, create innovative ideas and solutions, encourage unity, and make our workplaces fair and inclusive.”
“Statement B: We should eliminate DEI programs because they create divisions and inefficiencies in the workplace by putting too much emphasis on race and other social factors over merit, skills, and experience.”
Again, White men with and without college degrees, as well as white women without college degrees, all chose the statement that eliminated DEI programs. Only white women with college degrees wanted to continue DEI programs, and they did so by an astounding 36-point margin (68%-32%). Separately, similar polls have found that college-educated white women are also on an island when it comes to choosing between economic growth and environmental preservation.
College-educated white women are just far to the left of most voters on most matters.
College-educated white women make up just 20% of the overall electorate. But among Democratic primary voters, the number is closer to 30%, thanks to the higher propensities of women and college-educated voters to participate in primary elections.
MAYBE DEMOCRATS SHOULD TRY LISTENING TO MEN
Throw in the fact that many college-educated white women are also members of government unions, and you have a true Democratic primary juggernaut.
To the extent college-educated white women reflect the views of the median voter, there is nothing wrong with the Democratic Party being dominated by college-educated white women. But the more college-educated white women find themselves with extreme opinions on matters such as immigration, DEI, and the environment, it becomes a problem for Democrats.
