Dating and Politics
Daniel Cox at American Storylines:gov
Trump's style of communicating is personal, frequently offensive, and constant. Trump's penchant for taking every criticism personally and responding in kind was a hallmark of his presidency. Many of Trump’s political communications are devoid of political information. Is it any wonder then that, for many young people, politics took on a different meaning than disagreements about the budget deficit? A 2020 survey found that nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of young women—and just about as many young men—agreed with the statement, “A person's political views say a lot about the kind of person they are.”
The antipathy young women feel towards Donald Trump has been well documented, but the strength of the aversion they feel towards him is less remarked upon. The typical way we measure feelings toward political figures is on a scale of very favorable to very unfavorable. Seventy-five percent of unmarried young women have a “very unfavorable” view of Trump. But this survey question does not adequately capture the visceral feelings of disgust many young women have for Trump. A 2016 AP poll found that a majority of young women said the term “sexist” described Trump.
Lost in the many news reports, interviews, and poll questions about dating is that much of the objection young women have to Trump is not political, but personal. We found that a majority (55 percent) of young women would be less likely to date a Trump supporter, but far fewer (39 percent) say the same about the possibility of dating a Republican. The gap is even larger among young women with a college degree: more than three-quarters (76 percent) say they would be less inclined to date a Trump supporter.
