Study of Voters That Connected Their Youth to Make America Great Again
February 5, 2021
New nationwide survey shows MAGA supporters' beliefs nigh the pandemic, the election and the insurrection
A new University of Washington written report examines the beliefs of fervent Trump supporters well-nigh the pandemic, the election and the January anarchism at the U.South. Capitol.Blink O'fanaye
In the wake of the Capitol riot and on the eve of former President Trump's second impeachment trial, new data from the University of Washington reveals the attitudes and beliefs that are growing within the Republican Political party.
Surveys of hundreds of fervent Trump voters, whom researchers refer to as Make American Bully Once again (MAGA) supporters, reveal strong beliefs that the election was stolen; that COVID-19 is a bioweapon from China; and that the riot was the work of antifa. The data, collected merely earlier and subsequently the Capitol anarchism, is believed to be the just information of its kind, shedding light on MAGA supporters' opinions almost race, gender, the pandemic and the 2020 election.
The data besides uncovers demographic information that may dispel some myths about difficult-cadre Trump supporters: Nearly half of MAGA adherents, for case, roughly half earn at least $50,000 a year, considered centre-income by many standards, and approximately 1-3rd have at least a college degree.
"Correct at present, these people feel like they're losing their country and their identity. They feel like they're being displaced past communities of color, by feminists and past immigrants. These people are motivated by what they come across as an existential threat to their fashion of life," said Christopher Sebastian Parker, professor of political science at the UW and co-writer of the research.
The results have not yet been peer-reviewed and volition exist submitted to an academic periodical, Parker said.
The impetus for the study was something Parker and co-author Rachel Blum of the Academy of Oklahoma have been pursuing in their individual research for years: what drives the Trump wing of the GOP, which in many means builds on the Tea Party motion of a decade ago. The two researchers planned an online survey to be administered in tardily 2020—regardless of who won the November election—by placing ads on Facebook, identifying MAGA analogousness groups. Almost one,500 people completed the survey at the cease of December.
Then, after the Jan. half-dozen riot at the U.S. Capitol, Parker and Blum over again surveyed respondents who had supplied their email addresses in the start wave of the report, providing rare insight into MAGA supporters' behavior and perspectives before and later that celebrated event. This fourth dimension, about 300 people responded.
"The celebrated nature of the Capitol Riot, and the involvement of MAGA supporters, forced u.s. to re-interview people sooner than nosotros preferred. But nosotros needed to capture how the result may have afflicted their opinions on the land," Parker said.
Results of the Panel Study of the MAGA Move are grouped by categories: demographics of the respondent and their views on democracy and the election, on the Capitol riot, on COVID-19, and on "deviation"—namely, race, gender and other characteristics.
Highlights of the findings include:
- Nearly all (98%) of respondents said they believe Trump's ballot fraud claims and distrust the actual results of the presidential election;
- About 90% said voting "shouldn't be easier"
- More than ii-thirds said Trump bears no responsibility for the events of Jan. six – roughly the same percent that laid the arraign on antifa
- At least 90% said Trump was honest virtually COVID-xix, and that state and local authorities restrictions related to the pandemic should be loosened
- Almost all said they were concerned that "forces are irresolute our country for the worse" and "the American fashion of life is disappearing"
The findings related to "difference"– race, gender and clearing condition — provide an additional lens through which to view the MAGA motility, Parker said.
On race, significant majorities of respondents agreed with statements like "Blackness people should work their way upwards similar other minorities" and "Black people would exist besides off every bit white people if they tried." Along the same lines, a majority disagreed with statements such as "Slavery/bigotry made working up difficult for Black people" and "Black people take gotten less than they deserve."
Similar themes emerged in the results regarding women and immigration. A majority of respondents agreed with statements such every bit "Women interpret innocent remarks as sexist," "Feminists are seeking more than power than men," and "Immigration is changing our civilization for the worse."
Such statements are a reaction to decades of change, from the civil rights and women's movements of the 1960s, to the ballot of President Obama and an increasingly multiracial lodge, Parker said: "Similar clockwork, whenever racial progress occurs, it's followed—in short order—by racial retrenchment. Reconstruction, the Civil Rights Motility, and the election of Barack Obama, are the most prominent examples."
Accessing supporters through analogousness groups fell within a narrow window of opportunity, Parker said, given Facebook'south eventual crackdown on posts and pages that promoted baseless and dangerous ideas, and many conservatives' departure to other platforms.
In the 2nd moving ridge of the report – the post-riot portion – researchers too sought to decide what role race might take played in MAGA supporters' perspectives on events. Parker and Blum devised questions virtually whether the Jan. 6 riot was justified based on the thought that the election was stolen. If so, was it considering of voter fraud in Pennsylvania and Georgia, or because of voter fraud in Philadelphia and Atlanta, ii cities predominantly made up of people of color.
Results showed 25 pct more than of the respondents believed the anarchism was justified when the cities were mentioned, compared when just the states were included.
To further highlight supporters' views on the Capitol riot Parker and Blum then created give-and-take clouds, based on the themes that emerged when report participants described the events of January. 6. The word clouds below show the pattern in how MAGA supporters characterized events mostly every bit "small," "peaceful," and a "protest" or "rally" (Topic 1) and on the nigh frequent terms used in explaining the crusade of the riot (Topic 2).
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- This word cloud shows that report participants generally describe the events of January. 6 with terms like "protest," "people" and "peaceful."
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- In this word cloud, terms such as "antifa," "BLM" and "Democrats" dominated MAGS supporters' caption for what caused the riot.
Parker and Blum annotation in the study that these responses represented a puzzling mix, in terms of how the Capitol anarchism is viewed — in some ways as a peaceful protest of the ballot, but also every bit a anarchism incited by antifa and Blackness Lives Matter.
In the end, Parker said, the study shows the popularity of more extremist views within the Republican Political party, a design that dates back to the early 1960s when the party was divided between the more reactionary Sunbelt conservatives, and the more institution Due east Declension conservatives. The same pattern is essentially repeating itself. It's no wonder, he said, that members of the party are fighting over whether to punish Congressional Republicans who voted for impeachment and/or those who promote conspiracy theories.
"Ane of the ii major political parties is essentially captured past these people. They're not going away whatever time presently. They were here before Trump, and they'll exist here later on Trump," Parker said.
Results of the report, including charts and information on information collection and survey methodology, are available hither.
For more than information, contact Parker at csparker@uw.edu.
Tag(south): Christopher Parker • College of Arts & Sciences • Department of Political Science
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Source: https://www.washington.edu/news/2021/02/05/new-nationwide-survey-shows-maga-supporters-beliefs-about-the-pandemic-the-election-and-the-insurrection/
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