Single Women's Issues: Iraq, Healthcare, And Terrorism

Getting out of Iraq, making healthcare affordable, and keeping America safe from terrorism top the list of priorities for unmarried women, according to a new survey.

Conducted for the nonpartisan Women's Voices Women Vote organization, the survey--done by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner--is billed as the first-ever look at the policy priorities of America's estimated 48 million unmarried women, 20 million of whom, it is estimated, are not registered to vote. The survey, posted on the group's website, polled 1,000 unmarried women, 566 of whom voted in the 2006 election and 434 of whom did not.

Two thirds of those polled opposed President Bush's plan to increase the number of troops in Iraq. A majority of women said raising the minimum wage was the most important legislative item in the Democrats' 100-hours agenda. In the presidential race, the poll queried the respondents' views toward leading candidates.

On the Democratic side, respondents had about equal feelings toward Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton--60.3 percent and 60.9 percent had warm feelings toward each one, respectively.

However, the poll also took note of name identification. For Clinton, 96 percent of those polled could identify her versus 55 percent for Obama. On the Republican side, the poll looked only at Sen. John McCain. He received supportive feelings from 48.8 percent of respondents and had name identification from 71 percent of those polled.

By Silla Brush