Executive Summary

This year, unmarried women have emerged as an important core bloc for Democrats and presidential candidate John Kerry. Unmarried women remain extremely dissatisfied with the direction of the country, as our earlier research demonstrated. They continue to hold very negative views about George Bush and the way he is handling the country with regards to a range of important policy questions such as the war in Iraq and healthcare. Resolute in their desire for change, unmarried women are increasingly looking to challengers for the presidential office: John Kerry and, to a lesser extent, Ralph Nader.

Unmarried women have the power to decide this election; at 20 percent of the electorate, they are a powerful and united voice in favor of John Kerry. They are upset about the war, feel left behind by the economic recovery and do not like the direction Bush is taking the country. They have the potential to play an even larger role, if more unmarried women entered the electorate. As the general election campaign unfolds, we will keep watching unmarried women, documenting their political concerns and political preferences. No matter what the outcome, unmarried women's voices will be heard this election year.

Methodology
This is a report based on data drawn from several surveys:

1. Democracy Corps survey, National, 1010 likely voters, conducted July 10-13, 2004.
2. Investor's Business Daily/Christian Science Monitor/TIPP Poll, National, 1001 adults, 818 registered voters, conducted July 6-10, 2004.
3. AP/Ipsos Public Affairs, National, 1000 adults, 814 registered voters, conducted July 5-7, 2004.
4. New York Times/CBS News, National, 1053 adults, 875 registered voters, conducted June 23-June27, 2004.
5. National Annenberg Election Survey, National, 1641 adults, conducted June 16-June 30, 2004.
6. Battleground 2004, Lake Snell Perry & Associates /The Tarrance Group, National, 1000 likely voters, conducted June 20-23, 2004.
7. National Annenberg Election Survey, National, 1431 adults, conducted June 8-June 21, 2004.
8. Democracy Corps, National, 1007 likely voters, conducted June 14-June 17, 2004.

Key Findings

• Unmarried women have the power to decide this election; at 20 percent of the electorate, they are a powerful and united voice in favor of John Kerry.
• Unmarried women are unhappy with the current direction of the country and deeply desire change.
  
• Unmarried women do not particularly like Bush and strongly disapprove of how he is performing in office (61% disapprove)