Survey Says is a weekly sequence rounding up crucial polling tendencies or information factors it is advisable to learn about, plus a vibe verify on a development that’s driving politics or tradition.
What defines MAGA’s tradition?
Loyalty to President Donald Trump, who leads the “Make America Great Again” motion, is actually a big a part of it. However ask individuals what defines the motion’s cultural identification, and their solutions don’t all the time match how MAGA sees itself.
For starters, the general public is properly conscious of the motion. A YouGov ballot from July discovered that 51% of Individuals have heard “a lot” about MAGA, and 36% have heard a bit. What’s putting, although, is who’s paying the closest consideration: A better share of Democrats (62%) than Republicans (48%) have heard quite a bit, suggesting their view of MAGA’s tradition could also be formed extra by exterior narratives than by the motion’s precise cultural touchstones.
When requested what cultural touchstones outline MAGA Republicans, Individuals are inclined to affiliate the motion with a really particular set of symbols: American flags (55%), Accomplice flags (49%), the Trump-friendly musician Child Rock (48%), Trump’s previous actuality present “The Apprentice” (44%), and podcaster Joe Rogan (39%).
MAGA Republicans see themselves considerably otherwise, although. American flags (87%) and Child Rock (66%) nonetheless determine extremely on what they think about to be their motion’s touchstones, however in addition they think about Clint Eastwood (52%), steak (48%), and Ted Nugent (46%) to be up there.
Democrats have their very own image of what MAGA likes: Accomplice flags (77%), “The Apprentice” (60%), and Child Rock (59%) lead the listing. However solely 51% affiliate American flags with the motion.
YouGov requested about 40 cultural figures and symbols in complete, although it’s not clear how they landed on these particular choices. That’s a limitation of polling: Had respondents been given a clean sheet to explain their cultural identification, the solutions may need regarded very completely different.
Supporters arrive earlier than then-candidate Donald Trump speaks at a rally in North Carolina final November.
Nonetheless, one sample stands out.
“The uniting factor in a lot of this does seem to be the proximity of these symbols to Trump, which is not totally surprising given who MAGA is,” stated Rachel Blum, a political science professor on the College of Oklahoma. “In that respect, they seem to share an opinion with the rest of the country: that some proximity to Trump is what defines them culturally.”
Huge cultural fault strains run between the MAGA and non-MAGA wings of the Republican base.
Two-thirds of MAGA Republicans tie the motion to Child Rock—twice the share of non-MAGA Republicans who say the identical. The sample repeats elsewhere: 87% of MAGA Republicans affiliate the motion with American flags, whereas solely 56% of their non-MAGA counterparts do. The hole is vast on many others too, resembling Clint Eastwood, Tim Allen, and even steak.
Blum says a few of this may be defined by “differences of intensity.” Republicans could like lots of the identical issues, however MAGA Republicans establish with them extra strongly.
The cut up is much more stark with Rogan. Sixty p.c of MAGA Republicans say they “like” or “love” Rogan, however simply 25% of non-MAGA Republicans really feel the identical. Rogan endorsed Trump forward of final 12 months’s election, however lately, the podcaster has been extra important. That means Rogan’s assist among the many MAGA base could be much less about what he’s saying now and extra about what he stated earlier than.
“This seems like a good example of a place where that ‘like’ for Rogan is symbolic,” Blum stated. “These people aren’t actually listening to his podcast. They just appreciate that this prominent podcaster supported their candidate, and they’re rewarding him for that.”
Podcaster Joe Rogan, proven in 2023.
“There’s an extent to which conservatives have long felt that they’ve been left out of the culture or that the culture is biased against them,” she added. “So, you could see them being almost grateful when an important cultural figure seems like they’re finally on their side.”
Not all the things tied to MAGA is overtly political, although.
Take steak and hamburgers for instance. They’re hardly area of interest gadgets, but they’ve been absorbed into the MAGA cultural identification. That’s partly as a result of meals selections do break alongside occasion strains, in accordance with some polls. Solely 5% of Individuals establish as vegetarian and a couple of% as vegan, however Democrats (35%) are fairly a bit extra seemingly than Republicans (21%) to say they’re chopping again on consuming meat, in accordance with a 2018 ballot from YouGov for The Economist.
Amongst MAGA Republicans, meat is central to their cultural identification. Ninety-one p.c say they like or love steak, and 90% say the identical of hamburgers. Democrats additionally specific broad enthusiasm for steak and burgers, although MAGA’s embrace of purple meat has taken on a type of cultural signaling of its personal.
However MAGA’s cultural identification isn’t nearly what its individuals eat—it’s additionally about what they tune out.
In latest months, Trump supporters have largely prevented the late-night exhibits the president rails in opposition to. A YouGov ballot from September discovered simply 4% of Republicans and 6% of Trump voters watch late-night TV daily, in contrast with 9% of Democrats and 12% of those that voted for Kamala Harris, final 12 months’s Democratic presidential nominee. Greater than half of Republicans (51%) stated they by no means watch late-night applications, roughly double the share of Democrats (27%).
Taylor Swift, proven in 2024.
That hole displays greater than viewing habits. For a lot of, skipping late night time is a political assertion.
An analogous cultural cut up is taking part in out with Taylor Swift. Her megastardom has accelerated throughout Trump’s second time period, at the same time as he lob insults her method—twice dismissing her as not “HOT.” However this isn’t simply celeb gossip. Swift has develop into a transparent partisan marker.
In line with an Navigator Analysis ballot from August, Swift’s internet favorability amongst Democrats is +49 proportion factors, and amongst independents, it’s +8 factors. However with Republicans, it’s -22 factors—a shocking swing from two years earlier, when it was +15 factors. That shift accelerated after Swift endorsed Harris over Trump, with the steepest drop amongst voters with out faculty levels.
What was as soon as impartial pop-culture terrain has was one other entrance within the tradition wars.
In fact, expressed preferences don’t all the time mirror real-life conduct. Do individuals who say they dislike Swift truly cease listening to her music? Have right-leaning followers of late-night host Stephen Colbert truly tuned out? Polling can’t inform us that—nevertheless it’s a reminder that cultural identification is commonly messier than a clear partisan cut up.
There are different, quieter alerts too. Republicans are much less seemingly than Democrats to have learn a e-book previously 12 months—62% vs. 73%—although majorities in each teams nonetheless have, in accordance with a latest YouGov ballot. Republicans are additionally almost certainly to report proudly owning only one to 4 books, whereas Democrats clustered between proudly owning 10 and 24.
An indication studying “We Sell Banned Books” hangs within the window of a Virginia bookstore in 2022.
That divide mirrors a broader realignment alongside academic strains.
Information from the well-regarded American Nationwide Election Research exhibits that within the Eighties, Democrats held a 14-point edge with non-college-educated voters, whereas Republicans led by 5 factors amongst faculty graduates. Now, that dynamic has flipped: Democrats’ working-class benefit has all however disappeared, whereas their lead with college-educated voters has surged to 14 factors.
Democrats have develop into the occasion of the educated class—a power that might additionally develop into a ceiling if they’ll’t reconnect with working-class voters.
Studying habits aren’t future, although. YouGov additionally discovered Republicans and Democrats have been about equally more likely to have a library card, a small reminder that cultural divides aren’t all the time as stark as they appear.
In fact, just a few polls don’t inform the total story, and we shouldn’t rush to stereotype anybody based mostly on a handful of numbers. Nonetheless, these early glimpses give us a way—nevertheless tentative—of what being MAGA seems to be like culturally, and so they increase questions we’ll be watching because the motion continues to evolve.
Any updates?
New polling from The Economist/YouGov affords a snapshot of how Individuals are navigating the continuing authorities shutdown. A majority of Individuals (54%) say they haven’t felt any private impression from the shutdown up to now. (Possibly they haven’t tried to catch a flight currently.) Nonetheless, 45% are optimistic it is going to finish inside a month, despite the fact that Democrats and Republicans stay deadlocked. And there’s robust settlement that federal employees needs to be made complete as soon as this staring contest is over: 71% say these employees ought to obtain again pay. Individuals are additionally pushing again on Trump’s threats to make use of the shutdown to slash the federal workforce. A majority (54%) oppose the concept of completely firing employees—seemingly as a result of, at its core, it’s clearly unfair.
The White Home has embraced synthetic intelligence, with first girl Melania Trump lately launching an “AI Challenge” for college students and lecturers to develop AI tasks. However the public stays much more cautious of AI. A brand new Pew Analysis Middle report finds that fifty% of U.S. adults are extra involved than excited in regards to the increased use of AI in each day life, in contrast with simply 10% who say they really feel extra pleasure than worry.
Two weeks in the past, polls confirmed voters blaming Trump and Republicans for the federal government shutdown. However because the standoff drags on, a brand new AP-NORC ballot exhibits the Democrats’ political benefit slipping. Fifty-eight p.c say Trump and congressional Republicans bear “a great deal” or “quite a bit” of accountability, whereas 54% say the identical of congressional Democrats. Earlier polling confirmed Republicans extra clearly on the hook. However now each events are underneath hearth, signaling that the shutdown is not a one-sided political legal responsibility—and that Democrats could face a harder messaging battle than anticipated.
Vibe verify
With high-profile elections looming in November, it’s simple to overlook one other fast-approaching deadline: the vacations—and for a lot of, meaning searching for presents.
YouGov finds that 22% of U.S. adults have already began or will begin this month, however most are ready: 36% plan to start in November, and 13% will maintain off till December.
I’ll admit it—gift-giving is one in all my love languages, so I hardly ever set a funds. Most individuals are extra disciplined, although: 56% will set a strict or tough spending restrict, and 14% say they gained’t store in any respect this 12 months, whether or not by selection or rising prices.
Amongst these procuring, plans range: 17% plan to spend $100-$249 on vacation presents this 12 months, 21% say $250-$499, and 17% say $500-$1,000.
I’ll most likely land within the center—huge household, huge love for presents. How about you?
