Another Study Finds That Fear of America's Increased Diversity Motivates Trump Supporters

As we have written before, trying to figure out what truly motivates Trump supporters has become something of a cottage industry within think tanks and on college campuses. What has become clear as the result of all this research is that his supporters fear and resent the changing demographics of America, our growing diversity, much more than they are driven by specific economic concerns. In his book, "The Left Behind: Decline and Rage in Rural America", Robert Wuthnow explained it as "cultural anxiety."

In her new study of 1200 American voters from 2012 and 2016, University of Pennsylvania professor Diana C. Mutz came to many of the same conclusions as Wuthnow. "She found that traditionally high-status Americans, namely whites, feel their status in America and the world is threatened by America's growing racial diversity and a perceived loss of U.S. global dominance." Trump capitalized on this anxiety during the 2016 campaign.

From The Annenberg School of the U. Of Penn: "Trump's rhetoric during the 2016 election capitalized on the fears of Americans who currently enjoy dominant status in society, most notably those who were white, Christian, male, or some combination of the three. Many of those Americans, Mutz found, switched from voting for the Democrat in 2012 to the Republican in 2016. Particularly those who found societal changes threatening voted for Trump in an effort to maintain their perceived social dominance in the country and the world."

By: Don Lam & Curated Content

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