Only 2 Percent Of Americans Run For Office And Most Of Them Are ‘Men, White And Well-Educated’

Are you an American thinking about running for office? Congratulations, you could join the 2 percent of people in the U.S. who actually run for government. That number is based on a new poll from the Pew Research Center that not only highlights the low number of Americans interested in any type of government office but also emphasizes the gender and racial imbalance in U.S. politics.

Most people who run for office are "white, male and well-educated," according to Pew. The poll, conducted between Jan. 23 and Feb. 9, asked 3,341 adults, "Have you, yourself, ever run for federal, state or local elected office, or not?" Nearly all of the respondents said they have not run for elected office. Women, roughly 50.8 percent of the U.S. population, accounted for only 25 percent of the adults who said they have run for office, reports Pew.

The imbalance also extends to race and ethnicity. Hispanics make up 15 percent of the total U.S. adult population, but only 6 percent of them have run for office, according to Pew. Non-Hispanic blacks, 12 percent of the U.S. adult population, accounted for 5 percent of those who have run for office in their lifetime.

The poll also asked participants if they approved or disapproved of how President Barack Obama is handling his job. Of those surveyed, 49 disapproved, while 44 approved.