New PRRI/The Atlantic Poll: Many of Trump’s Own Supporters Don’t Think He’ll Fix America
Nearly half of Trump’s voters think life in their communities will get better; Two-thirds of white evangelicals feel “excited” or “satisfied” about the election outcome
Washington, D.C. (December 1, 2016)-- Just under half (49%) of the people who voted for President-elect Donald Trump think life in their local communities will get better in the years to come-- and another five percent think things might get worse-- according to a newly released post-election PRRI/The Atlantic poll. The survey, conducted between November 9-20, 2016, explored factors contributing to the outcome of the election and reactions to it, perceived problems with the electoral system, and attitudes about the political parties.
Among the PRRI/The Atlantic poll findings: half of all Americans report feeling worried (26%), disappointed (19%), or angry (5%) about the outcome of the presidential race. More than four in ten say they feel satisfied (23%) or excited (19%) about the election’s outcome. In 2012, a majority of Americans reported feeling satisfied (31%) or excited (22%) about the outcome of the election, while fewer than half said they were disappointed, worried, or angry.
The Atlantic’s Andrew McGill reports on the survey’s topline findings at The Atlantic’s Politics & Policy section. An in-depth look at the findings can be found on PRRI’s website. All citations should be attributed to PRRI/The Atlantic.
The survey found one group that’s greeting the Trump White House with optimism: white, self-identified evangelicals. 39% of this group feel that the quality of life in their local community will get better post-election. Two-thirds of white evangelicals said they’re “excited” or “satisfied” about the outcome, compared to less than half of white mainline Protestants and white Catholics and less than one-third of people who are religiously unaffiliated. Emma Green has a new report on the reaction of white evangelicals to Trump’s election, also at TheAtlantic.com. Additional data on these findings is available upon request.
The new polling is part of an ongoing partnership between The Atlantic and PRRI. Additional polling data will be released in the coming weeks.
Relevant Links for PRRI/The Atlantic Survey
Released December 1, 2016
From The Atlantic:
Many of Trump's Own Supporters Don't Think He'll Fix America (Andrew McGill)
Why White Evangelical Voters are Feeling Hopeful About Trump (Emma Green)
From PRRI:
Analysis of Survey: www.prri.org/research/prri-atlantic-december-2016-post-election-survey/
Topline questionnaire, including survey methodology: www.prri.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/PRRI-The-Atlantic-WWC-Post-Election-Survey-Topline-FINAL.pdf
Methodology:
The survey was designed and conducted by PRRI in partnership with The Atlantic. Results of the survey were based on 1,162 callback telephone interviews conducted between November 9 and November 20, 2016 with respondents who were originally interviewed in a pre-election survey. The PRRI/The Atlantic pre-election survey was fielded September 22 through October 9, 2016 among a national random sample of 3,043 adults 18 years of age or older in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. Within households, respondents were identified using initials or first name that was provided during the pre-election interview. For respondents who refused to provide a name, gender and age were used to identify the correct respondent in the household. All interviews were conducted by telephone in Spanish and English by professional interviewers under the supervision of SSRS. The survey was made possible by generous grants from Open Society Foundations and The Ford Foundation.
The margin of error for the survey is +/- 3.6 percentage points at the 95% level of confidence. The survey included a subsample of 969 voters. The margin of error for the subsample of voters is +/- 3.9 percentage points at the 95% level of confidence. The design effect for the survey is 1.6. In addition to sampling error, surveys may also be subject to error or bias due to question wording, context and order effects.
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About The Atlantic:
Founded in 1857 and today one of the fastest growing media platforms in the industry, The Atlantic has throughout its history championed the power of big ideas and continues to shape global debate across print, digital, events, and video platforms. With its award-winning digital presence TheAtlantic.com and CityLab.com on cities around the world, The Atlantic is a multimedia forum on the most critical issues of our times—from politics, business, urban affairs, and the economy, to technology, arts, and culture. The Atlantic is the 2016 National Magazine of the Year. The Atlantic is the flagship property of Washington, D.C.-based publisher Atlantic Media. Its president is Bob Cohn and Jeffrey Goldberg is Editor-in-Chief.
About Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI)
Public Religion Research Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan organization specializing in research at the intersection of religion, values, and public life.