LOS ANGELES. Nov 10: The much talkcd-about gender gap Is still a reality in US politics, according to an exit polls released Thursday, reports AFP.

Women preferred Vice President Al Gore by a margin of 55 per cent to 43 per cent, while men opted for Republican George W Bush by 54 per cent to 43 per •cent, according to the national poll by the Los Angeles Times.

The gap among single women was even larger, at 66 per cent for the Democrat to 30 per cent for Bush. However, married women were equally divided, splitting at 49 per cent, the poll found.

✓ Single men also preferred Gore by 48 per cent to 45 per cent, while married men supported Bush by 58 to 40 per cent.

The entire poll had a three per cent margin of error, though subgroups might have a "somewhat higher" margin of error, the newspaper said.

In other findings, African Americans traditionally strong Democrats voted overwhelmingly for the vice president, giving him 90 per cent of their votes.

Nine per cent of black voters who are nine per cent of the entire electorate supported Bush, the poll said.

Latinos seven per cent of all voters backed Gore over Bush by 61 per cent to 38 per cent, and Asian Americans (two per cent of voters) voted 62 to 37 per cent In favour of the vice president.

Whites, who are 80 per cent of all voters, favoured Bush 54 to 43 percent.

Voters under 30 supported Gore by 54 to 41 per cent, while those 65 or older split the other way. 52 to 46 per cent for Bush, despite the vice president's attack 1 on Republican plans for social security.