In new poll, almost half of Clinton supporters say they have no friends supporting Trump

By Fusion Staff  |  August 4, 2016 | 4:18pm
Latest

A new Pew study shows how profoundly polarizing the 2016 election has been for Americans.

The think-tank’s new poll shows that 47% of Clinton supporters and 31% of Trump supporters say they have zero close friends who support the opposing candidate. Trump supporters do seem to have a broader set of friends with opposing views, with 67% saying they have at least a few friends supporting Clinton, compared with just 53% of Clinton backers saying they know a few Trump fans. Here’s the graphic:

The most segregated groups (those with the highest responses of “no friends supporting the opponent”) were young and black people.

Fewer than half the country has even had a conversation with someone from the opposing side’s camp (37% for Trump supporters; 40% for Clinton ones). Trump supporters appear to enjoy talking about the race with other Trump supporters slightly more than Clinton backers do with other Clinton supporters.

Most respondents (58%) said they “don’t mind” if people know who they support but also “don’t go out of their way to say it.” Just a third say they are “pretty outspoken with others” about their voting preferences.

The survey was conducted June 7–July 5 (so before the conventions) among 4,602 adults, including 3,834 registered voters.

Rob covers business, economics and the environment for Fusion. He previously worked at Business Insider. He grew up in Chicago.

 
Join the discussion...