Percentage of Americans who believe US is ready for a female president drops

The amount of Americans that believe the U.S. is ready for a female president has dipped according to a poll published Friday, with just over half claiming they believe the country is ready this year.

The poll, conducted by YouGov for The Times, found that just 54% of respondents believe the country is ready to elect a female president in 2024, compared to 63% in a 2015 YouGov poll. The question comes as Vice President Kamala Harris emerges as the presumptive Democratic nominee for president now that President Joe Biden has withdrawn his bid for reelection.

Almost one third of respondents said they do not believe the country is ready for a female president, and 53% said they hope that a female president is elected within the next 10 years. 

The question centers on whether the country as a whole is ready for a female president rather than the respondent, and many Democrats are concerned about whether the country will elect a woman to be its commander-in-chief, with 77% of registered Democrats saying they believe the country is ready. Just over a third (37%) also say about half of or more Americans wouldn't vote for an equally qualified woman.

The survey also revealed that 35% of Democratic respondents believe Harris should choose a male running mate, while just six percent believe there should be two women on the ticket.

The poll was conducted on Monday and Tuesday, and surveyed 1,170 registered voters. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.