One-Third of Voters Say They're 'Woke,' More Men Than Women: Poll

One-third of U.S. voters said they consider themselves to be "woke," a term used to refer to someone who is aware and proactive about social justice issues such as racial discrimination.

A new The Hill/HarrisX poll of about 1,000 registered voters conducted between July 8-9 found 32 percent of them saying they "consider themselves to be woke." A larger percentage of men, 35 percent, said they would fit under the wide umbrella of that term, while only 30 percent of women surveyed said the same.

The term "woke" has become a divisive political and cultural reference as conservatives often use it to mock progressives as elitist or arrogant. A 60 percent majority of Democrats surveyed said they think "wokeness" is a good thing for the country, but only about 20 percent of Republicans agreed.

Polled voters were evenly divided in their view of whether being "woke" is a positive or negative concept for the country moving forward. Respondents were asked if "wokeness" is doubling down on the country's racial and social divisions, or if it is a helping the U.S. to evolve for the better. Exactly 50 percent of voters said "wokeness" is stoking differences and causing unrest, while another 50 percent said it is developing and evolving the country for the better.

Massive partisan divides were evident, as 70 percent of Democrats said "wokeness" is a good thing alongside 54 percent of independent voters. By comparison, a 72 percent majority of Republicans said "wokeness" is further dividing the country along racial and ethnic lines.

One major factor in the The Hill/HarrisX poll is the large share of U.S. voters who acknowledged they are not entirely sure what the term "woke" really means. Although the phrase has seeped into mainstream discussions pertaining to politics, sports and education, the murky term for one's awareness of racial prejudice still leaves many Americans confused.

Thirty-one percent of respondents said flatly, "I don't know what woke means"—including 37 percent of women versus 26 percent of men. And an additional 13 percent of those surveyed said they are "unsure" whether or not they could be considered woke.

But a large gray area is present throughout the poll results. Forty-one percent of respondents said they don't think being woke is either a good or a bad thing. A plurality, 45 percent, of women voters said they don't think "wokeness" has either a good or bad effect on the country's current direction.

Newsweek reached out to the survey authors for any additional remarks about the "wokeness" poll released this week from a nationally representative sample of registered voters.