The News-Sentinel and News Channel 15 contracted with Research 2000, a nonpartisan polling firm based in Maryland, to conduct a pre-election survey in the 3rd Congressional District, which includes Fort Wayne. The polling company completed phone interviews with 600 likely voters, 48 percent men and 52 percent women, Oct. 16-18. Thirty percent of the respondents identified themselves as Democrats, 33 percent as Republicans and 37 percent as “other.” The survey results have a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Continuing racial and gender integration in America has spurred a greater acceptance of the possibility of having an African-American president or female vice president, experts say - but likely not quite as accepted as a local poll indicates.

Among 600 likely voters questioned in the 3rd Congressional District, 79 percent said they feel the country is ready to elect an African-American president, 9 percent said America is not and 12 percent were not sure. In regard to gender, 84 percent said America is ready to elect a woman as vice president, 7 percent said it's not and 9 percent were unsure. When age became the question, 88 percent of those polled did not think Republican presidential hopeful John McCain is too old to be president.

Hana Stith, director of the African/African-American Historical Museum on East Douglas Avenue, said she believes the local poll accurately reflects the changing mind-set of Americans, especially from younger voters.

“Oh, I definitely think that (the poll results) sounds right,” Stith said. “There's been a lot of changes, especially with younger people. They've grown up with women and African Americans as leaders and role models.”

Lisa Beringer, coordinator for the Center for Women and Returning Adults at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, said she certainly believes the country is ready for a woman vice president, as well.

“Younger generations are seeing more diversity in the workplace and in management, so they are less prejudiced,” said Beringer, who also works as a limited-term women's studies professor at IPFW. “In my own classroom, I see the students wanting to get away from more division.”

Pat Ashton, IPFW associate professor of sociology and director of peace and conflict studies, agreed with Stith and Beringer, saying the results show as younger generations continue to grow older, nationwide opinions will change. And, as more reach voting age, major changes will come.

“For people under 45, Martin Luther King Jr. has always been dead, the Civil Rights Act has always been around,” Ashton said. “The majority of people now have grown up where discrimination is largely illegal … they have experienced people of (a) different race and gender in positions of power already.”

However, he said, the polls could also reflect a common occurrence where people will say they are ready for an African-America president or woman vice president because they know it is the socially acceptable thing to do.

“What happens when people are in the voting booth, pushing the button is a lot of times different than what they say,” Ashton said. “Most people know it's uncool to express racial prejudice openly.”

The behavior Ashton refers to is called the “Bradley Effect,” where polls show a much higher willingness by respondents to vote for a person of a different race than actually happens on Election Day. It's named after Tom Bradley, the former African-American mayor of Los Angeles who narrowly lost the 1982 California governor's race after pre-election polls showed him well ahead.

In terms of gender, Ashton said, America is further behind in accepting females as leaders than accepting a man of any other race than Caucasian.

“I think the poll results on gender reflect more people thinking with Sarah Palin in mind, rather than someone like Hillary Clinton,” he said. “I think the gender thing is a tougher nut to crack. What's working for (Palin) is she is running for vice president.”

Another major factor Ashton cites is that Palin represents a more acceptable and stereotypical type of woman; Clinton does not and therefore received harsher criticism when she was running for president in the Democratic primary.

“(Palin's) a hockey mom first and a woman ready to sit at the men's table second. Hillary is a woman who is ready to sit at the men's table first. I believe if Hillary was chosen by Barack Obama to be his running mate, you wouldn't see that much acceptance in the polls.”