Current Events > Study shows Trump voters feared loss of status and not economic anxiety

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https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/24/us/politics/trump-economic-anxiety.html

A study published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences questions that explanation, the latest to suggest that Trump voters werent driven by anger over the past, but rather fear of what may come. White, Christian and male voters, the study suggests, turned to Mr. Trump because they felt their status was at risk.

Its much more of a symbolic threat that people feel, said Diana C. Mutz, the author of the study and a political science and communications professor at the University of Pennsylvania, where she directs the Institute for the Study of Citizens and Politics. Its not a threat to their own economic well-being; its a threat to their groups dominance in our country over all.

The study is not the first to cast doubt on the prevailing economic anxiety theory. Last year, a Public Religion Research Institute survey of more than 3,000 people also found that Mr. Trumps appeal could better be explained by a fear of cultural displacement.

In her study, Dr. Mutz sought to answer two questions: Is there evidence to support the economic anxiety argument, and did the fear of losing social dominance drive some voters to Mr. Trump? To find answers, she analyzed survey data from a nationally representative group of about 1,200 voters polled in 2012 and 2016.

In both years, participants were asked the same wide-ranging set of questions. Party loyalty overwhelmingly explained how most people voted, but Dr. Mutzs statistical analysis focused on those who bucked the trend, switching their support to the Republican candidate, Mr. Trump, in 2016.

Even before conducting her analysis, Dr. Mutz noted two reasons for skepticism of the economic anxiety, or left behind, theory. First, the economy was improving before the 2016 presidential campaign. Second, while research has suggested that voters are swayed by the economy, there is little evidence that their own financial situation similarly influences their choices at the ballot box.

The analysis offered even more reason for doubt.

Losing a job or income between 2012 and 2016 did not make a person any more likely to support Mr. Trump, Dr. Mutz found. Neither did the mere perception that ones financial situation had worsened. A persons opinion on how trade affected personal finances had little bearing on political preferences. Neither did unemployment or the density of manufacturing jobs in ones area.

While economic anxiety did not explain Mr. Trumps appeal, Dr. Mutz found reason instead to credit those whose thinking changed in ways that reflected a growing sense of racial or global threat.

it makes sense. i often see people that approve of trump speaking on the fear of becoming a minority or a country that is majority white no longer being majority white.
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I'm not surprised in the slightest. Trump supporters have the biggest victim complexes on the planet.
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People who fly banners like this are concerned about status?
https://imgur.com/a/rOl22H3

say it aint so.
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I can't believe they had the gall to actually vote.
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CrimsonRage posted...

obviously

shut up
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SomeonesAlt posted...

I'm not surprised in the slightest. Trump supporters have the biggest victim complexes on the planet.

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No its more like white straight males are sick of being blamed for everything, blame obama and the media for making open season on whites.
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lilORANG posted...

People who fly banners like this are concerned about status?
https://imgur.com/a/rOl22H3

say it aint so.

its like if a Mal topic was made into a banner
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Awesome posted...

No its more like white straight males are sick of being blamed for everything, blame obama and the media for making open season on whites.

lmao. you actually believe this...
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Awesome posted...

No its more like white straight males are sick of being blamed for everything, blame obama and the media for making open season on whites.

See, just proving it right.
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Awesome posted...

No its more like white straight males are sick of being blamed for everything, blame obama and the media for making open season on whites.

See this study literally proved this wrong lol
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Its funny because trump became president because of obama and hillary and people are in denial about it.
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yes. most trump voters are racist. this country has a lot of problems.
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Awesome posted...

Its funny because trump became president because of obama and hillary and people are in denial about it.

yea you're right. he became president because racist idiots felt threatened at the thought of a black President and wanted to "Make America Great Again"....aka go back in time to when that wouldn't be a possibility again.
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foreveraIone posted...

yes. most trump voters are racist. this country has a lot of problems.

If hillary didnt make the deplorables comment she would have won, a white woman calling white people bad names got trump elected.

People forget that too.
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dreamvoid posted...

In both years, participants were asked the same wide-ranging set of questions. Party loyalty overwhelmingly explained how most people voted

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Awesome posted...

foreveraIone posted...

yes. most trump voters are racist. this country has a lot of problems.

If hillary didnt make the deplorables comment she would have won, a white woman calling white people bad names got trump elected.

People forget that too.

More people voted for Hillary than voted for Trump. Hillary being an all around unlikable candidate being incapable of bringing people to the polls had more to do with Trump's success than her calling people Deplorables.
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Awesome posted...

foreveraIone posted...

yes. most trump voters are racist. this country has a lot of problems.

If hillary didnt make the deplorables comment she would have won, a white woman calling white people bad names got trump elected.

People forget that too.

No.

Hilary didnt win because she did a shitty job at campaigning. Trump did a much better job and got a much better turnout. A main reason for the better turnout was because of the fact that white people felt threatened that minorities are getting rights.
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Awesome posted...

foreveraIone posted...

yes. most trump voters are racist. this country has a lot of problems.

If hillary didnt make the deplorables comment she would have won, a white woman calling white people bad names got trump elected.

People forget that too.

Pretty sure it's still morally bankrupt republicans' fault for not rejecting the guy after he bragged about sexual assault, mocked the disabled, proposed religious bans, pushed the birther narrative, mocked opponents wives, threatened to jail reporters, profited from a scam university, and any other number of disqualifying bs people either "overlooked" or outright endorsed.

Hillary described them perfectly when she called them deplorable. It's no surprise that these people are more afraid of losing whatever place they feel "entitled" to in life than doing any single thing that might help the country as a whole.
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Spooking posted...

It appears they are still throwing out wacky theories on why Trump voters voted the way they did. Remember the others being that they were sexist, or racist, or whatever else they were trying to throw at the wall to see what sticks. When the most obvious answer is and always was...

FLUFFYGERM posted...

dreamvoid posted...

In both years, participants were asked the same wide-ranging set of questions. Party loyalty overwhelmingly explained how most people voted

Ta-da!

but Dr. Mutzs statistical analysis focused on those who bucked the trend, switching their support to the Republican candidate, Mr. Trump, in 2016.

you guys should really learn to finish your sentences.
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This study focused just on the Trump voters who voted for Obama in 2012. The vast minority of Trump voters. Make of that what you will.
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I love having the white privilege of being told that I'm bad for voting and should feel guilty
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SomeonesAlt posted...

I'm not surprised in the slightest. Trump supporters have the biggest victim complexes on the planet.

Yup. Not surprising at all that insecure fuckwads voted for it.
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lilORANG posted...

Pretty sure it's still morally bankrupt republicans' fault for not rejecting the guy after he bragged about sexual assault, mocked the disabled, proposed religious bans, pushed the birther narrative, mocked opponents wives, threatened to jail reporters, profited from a scam university, and any other number of disqualifying bs people either "overlooked" or outright endorsed.

Hillary described them perfectly when she called them deplorable. It's no surprise that these people are more afraid of losing whatever place they feel "entitled" to in life than doing any single thing that might help the country as a whole.

but obama said trayvon could have been his son....
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foreveraIone posted...

but obama said trayvon could have been his son....

oh the HORROR!
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Funbazooka posted...

I love having the white privilege of being told that I'm bad for voting and should feel guilty

If you voted for Trump because you felt like youd lose your place in society as a white male, then the article is about it. Otherwise, continue to cry.
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Awesome posted...

No its more like white straight males are sick of being blamed for everything, blame obama and the media for making open season on whites.

I hope you made this post with the intention of making a case for the study because this is the saddest shit you've ever posted and you post a lot of shit.
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dreamvoid posted...

Spooking posted...

It appears they are still throwing out wacky theories on why Trump voters voted the way they did. Remember the others being that they were sexist, or racist, or whatever else they were trying to throw at the wall to see what sticks. When the most obvious answer is and always was...

FLUFFYGERM posted...

dreamvoid posted...

In both years, participants were asked the same wide-ranging set of questions. Party loyalty overwhelmingly explained how most people voted

Ta-da!

but Dr. Mutzs statistical analysis focused on those who bucked the trend, switching their support to the Republican candidate, Mr. Trump, in 2016.

you guys should really learn to finish your sentences.

seriously. Was gonna point this out too. Literally the same sentence lol. And this article cites to a number of other studies with the same findings. But I'm sure the deep state paid off all the academics to put these sham studies together.
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Awesome posted...

foreveraIone posted...

yes. most trump voters are racist. this country has a lot of problems.

If hillary didnt make the deplorables comment she would have won, a white woman calling white people bad names got trump elected.

People forget that too.

we should play a new game called:

was she wrong
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hmmmmmm!
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anth0ny posted...

we should play a new game called:

was she wrong

all of a sudden Trump supporters don't like when people "tell it like it is"...they cited that as the number one reason they loved Trump...but when someone else "tells it like it is" they get asshurt....
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And no one was surprised. I mean fuck there were tons of topics that literally said "Don't piss off white people" the day after on here

TheVipaGTS posted...

anth0ny posted...

we should play a new game called:

was she wrong

all of a sudden Trump supporters don't like when people "tell it like it is"...they cited that as the number one reason they loved Trump...but when someone else "tells it like it is" they get asshurt....

It's FAKE NEWS if others actually tell it like it is, didn't you know that?
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sktgamer_13dude posted...

Funbazooka posted...

I love having the white privilege of being told that I'm bad for voting and should feel guilty

If you voted for Trump because you felt like youd lose your place in society as a white male, then the article is about it. Otherwise, continue to cry.

I didn't vote for him for that reason.

Hillary was white too. Why are people forgetting this?
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She wasn't Obama 2.0
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The "I love facts" crowd seems suspiciously upset about the facts presented in this study, despite them saying pretty much the same thing themselves. Reminds me of when they all got butthurt about that Ta-Nehisi Coates article despite agreeing with everything it said.
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I dont see whats wrong with wanting to keep what youve earned.

Some people are in denial
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To be fair hillary only said half of trump supporters were deplorable
Of course they proved her wrong
All of them were deplorable
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A_Good_Boy posted...

The "I love facts" crowd seems suspiciously upset about the facts presented in this study, despite them saying pretty much the same thing themselves. Reminds me of when they all got butthurt about that Ta-Nehisi Coates article despite agreeing with everything it said.

I mean most of these same people were still trying to blame Islam for the recent van attack in Toronto after all the facts had already come out so they never actually cared about the facts.
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Antifar posted...

This study focused just on the Trump voters who voted for Obama in 2012. The vast minority of Trump voters. Make of that what you will.

But the narrative!
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It doesn't say racial status.
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CrimsonRage posted...

Conservatives being "the party of facts" is the biggest myth of modern politics.

Reality has a liberal bias

CrimsonRage posted...

Conservatives being "the party of facts" is the biggest myth of modern politics.

I've honestly never even heard this myth. Is it something posters on TheDonald spew in their weird circle jerks? Conservatives have always been the emotional party. They justify half their shit with bible verses.
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