The One Trait that Predicts whether a Person will Support Trump

[GreatGazoo]

If I asked you what most defines Donald Trump supporters, what would you say? They’re white? They’re poor? They’re uneducated?

You’d be wrong.

In fact, I’ve found a single statistically significant variable predicts whether a voter supports Trump—and it’s not race, income or education levels: It’s authoritarianism.
...
Authoritarianism is not a new, untested concept in the American electorate. Since the rise of Nazi Germany, it has been one of the most widely studied ideas in social science. While its causes are still debated, the political behavior of authoritarians is not. Authoritarians obey. They rally to and follow strong leaders. And they respond aggressively to outsiders, especially when they feel threatened. From pledging to “make America great again” by building a wall on the border to promising to close mosques and ban Muslims from visiting the United States, Trump is playing directly to authoritarian inclinations.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/01/donald-trump-2016-authoritarian-213533#ixzz3xh8rJvGW

[pampango]

1. Nice article. Not surprising that FEAR is #2 trait. #1 is revealing too.

Not all authoritarians are Republicans by any means ... authoritarians have steadily moved from the Democratic to the Republican Party over time. He hypothesizes that the trend began decades ago, as Democrats embraced civil rights, gay rights, employment protections and other political positions valuing freedom and equality. In my poll results, authoritarianism was not a statistically significant factor in the Democratic primary race, at least not so far, but it does appear to be playing an important role on the Republican side.

Trump was the only candidate—Republican or Democrat—whose support among authoritarians was statistically significant.

So what does this mean for the election? It doesn’t just help us understand what motivates Trump’s backers—it suggests that his support isn’t capped. In a statistical analysis of the polling results, I found that Trump has already captured 43 percent of Republican primary voters who are strong authoritarians, and 37 percent of Republican authoritarians overall. A majority of Republican authoritarians in my poll also strongly supported Trump’s proposals to deport 11 million illegal immigrants, prohibit Muslims from entering the United States, shutter mosques and establish a nationwide database that track Muslims.

And in a general election, Trump’s strongman rhetoric will surely appeal to some of the 39 percent of independents in my poll who identify as authoritarians and the 17 percent of self-identified Democrats who are strong authoritarians.

The author thinks that Trump's appeal to independents (39%) and Democrats (17%) who identify as authoritarians may be considerable. Not sure I agree but it is a scary thought.

[KingCharlemagne]

2. knr -.nt

[MrMickeysMom]

3. It's more than Donald Trump supporters (I will not be popular... oh, well...)

I've been reading (since I'm banned from writing in the Hillary Group) how the "true believers" of Bernie Sanders are so awfully inflexibly unable to yield or keep themselves from bullying HRC supporters. The group welcomes like minded individuals. If you say something they don't like, you're banned by one of the moderators, like I was. It was the first time I posted, but I digress...

Look at the conversation that focuses on what we have as a common goal. If it's health care related, that causes a fight between the true believers and those who challenge conventional authoritarian rule on the subject.

Only, I don't see myself, or the majority who posted positively on Medicare for All as needing an authoritarian rule. It's completing FDR's dream of healthcare as a right.

I guess I'm saying that a lot of Hillary supporters may be projecting a problem they have in diverting from authority and conventional safety under traditions of authority. This authority is not limited to those who would vote for a Trump. It's reach is for those who need somebody to assure them that the conventional is "safe".

The conventional is NOT SAFE. And, those who think it's bullying to stand UP to that conventionality of safety under the same thing that comes from the corporate world are kidding themselves.

[Angel Martin]

4. the definition of "authoritarian" in this article is a stretch

"...my poll asked a set of four simple survey questions that political scientists have employed since 1992 to measure inclination toward authoritarianism. These questions pertain to child-rearing: whether it is more important for the voter to have a child who is respectful or independent; obedient or self-reliant; well-behaved or considerate; and well-mannered or curious. Respondents who pick the first option in each of these questions are strongly authoritarian."

[GreatGazoo]

5. They can't just ask "are you a nazi?" or even "authoritarian" (big word) so they ask about

it in very basic language. Doesn't seem "a stretch" to me.

favoring or enforcing strict obedience to authority, at the expense of personal freedom.