(08/28/12) -

Americans Support Augusta National’s Decision to Admit Female Members

Most respondents believe private clubs should be allowed to dismiss membership applications based on citizenship.

The recent admission of two women to Augusta National Golf Club—where the Masters Tournament is played every year—is endorsed by a large proportion of Americans, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,010 American adults, 84 per cent of respondents support the club’s decision to admit two female members for the first time.

Across the United States, more than a quarter of respondents (28%) believe that private clubs in the United States should be allowed to dismiss membership applications on the basis of gender, while smaller proportions would consent to private clubs establishing specific guidelines to admit members based on religion (23%), ethnicity (21%) and race (19%).

Half of Americans (51%) believe private clubs should be allowed to dismiss membership applications on the basis of citizenship, a view endorsed by 67 per cent of Republicans.

GOP supporters are also more likely to support establishing specific guidelines for club members based on gender, religion, ethnicity and race than Independents and Democrats.

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

CONTACT:

Mario Canseco, Vice President, Angus Reid Public Opinion
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com

Methodology: From August 22 to August 23, 2012, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,010 American adults who are Springboard America panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of the United States. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.