Republican frontrunner Donald Trump’s appeal, and surprising rise to Republican frontrunner status, may never be made more clear than in a new Pew Research Center poll that found that found his supporters, above all else, harbor a yearning for the return of an America of decades ago.
Pew found that nostalgia – and the prevailing Trump message, “Make America Great Again” – probably have driven the GOP nominating process more than any other factor.
Overall, 46 percent of registered voters polled say that life in America today is worse than it was 50 years ago “for people like them.” Some 34 percent say life is better, and 14 percent think it is about the same.
But here is where the pro-Trump divide reveals itself.
Republican and Republican-leaning voters are more than twice as likely as Democratic voters to say life in this country has gotten worse over the past half-century for people like them (66-28 percent).
And this is the rest of the story: Among GOP voters, Pew reports that fully 75 percent of Trump supporters say life for people like them has gotten worse. That compares with 63 percent of Ted Cruz supporters and slightly more than half of those who back John Kasich.
The March 17-27 Pew poll revealed a plethora of revealing stats about the American electorate:
- Contrary to conventional wisdom, there has been no increase in voter anger toward the federal government since before the start of the presidential campaign. Currently, about one-fifth of registered voters say they are “angry” at the federal government, while 59 percent are “frustrated” and 17 percent “basically content.” These opinions are little changed from last fall, in the Pew Research Center’s major study of attitudes toward government, and from early 2014.
- Republican and Republican-leaning voters (35 percent) continue to be more likely than Democrats and Democratic leaners (10 percent) to express anger at government. Within the GOP, agitation with Washington is heavily concentrated among Trump supporters – 50 percent say they are angry at government, compared with 30 percent of Cruz backers and just 18 percent of those who support Kasich.
- GOP voters who support Trump also stand out for their pessimism about the nation’s economy and their own financial situation: Nearly half rate current economic conditions in the U.S. as “poor” — no more than about a third of any other candidate’s supporters say the same.
- At the same time, the presidential primary process receives low marks in both parties — with the notable exception of Trump loyalists. Just one-third of registered voters – 42 percent of Republicans and 30 percent of Democrats – view the primary system as a good way of determining the best-qualified nominees, according to Pew. However, given Trump’s stunning success in primaries and caucuses, 60 percent of the real estate mogul’s supporters express a positive view of the primary process.
- Trump bias is also a major factor in voters’ views of how the nominating process has played out.
- Supporters of the remaining GOP candidates – again, with the exception of Trump backers – believe that the bombastic billionaire has received too much press coverage. Overall, Pew found that three-fourths of voters say news organizations have given too much coverage to Trump. No more than about four-in-ten say that about any of the other candidates.
With independents representing the largest voting bloc in the nation, it’s abundantly clear that the Republican and Democratic nominees have work to do to appeal to the American mainstream
More specifically, Trump’s heated rhetoric on the campaign stump has distorted the perception of American views on key issues:
- Overall, nearly six-in-10 voters say that U.S. immigrants strengthen the country because of their hard work and talents, while 35 percent say they are a burden because they take jobs, housing and health care.That reveals a gaping divide between Trump supporters and Americans overall.publican and Republican-leaning voters are more than three times more likely than Democrats and Democratic “leaners” to view immigrants as a burden.Among those who support Trump for the GOP nomination, nearly 70 percent say immigrants are a burden, compared with half of Cruz supporters and 40 percent of Kasich’s followers. Fewer than one-in-five Clinton and Sanders backers consider immigrants a burden on the country.
- Further separation between primary season rhetoric and general election realities emerge when focusing on trade issues. Incredibly, majorities of both Clinton and Sanders supporters say that free trade agreements have been a good thing for the United States. Cruz and Kasich backers are not far behind. But among Trump supporters, Pew reports that just 27 percent say trade agreements are beneficial for the U.S, while 67 percent say they are a bad thing.
On foreign policy, a solid majority believes that global problems would be worse without U.S. involvement. In contrast, just one-third say U.S. efforts to solve problems “usually end up making things worse.” Among Sanders supporters, 45 percent say U.S. international efforts make things worse, compared with 28 percent of Clinton supporters. - Interestingly, while expensive U.S. failures overseas have been a big part of the Trump message, only 38 percent of the businessman’s backers agree. Among other GOP voters, 30 percent of Kasich loyalists say U.S. foreign interventions have been a waste and one-fourth of Cruz supporters agree.
