Last week, I invited readers to share their views on the Trump administration. A total of 116 respondents participated in the survey, which was conducted between February 10th and February 14th. Responses were and remain anonymous.

The survey was distributed via websites whose readers are mostly expats living in Mexico. Because respondents self-selected to participate, the results reflect only the views of that group.

Overall Results

When asked to reflect on their support for Trump: Data_Q1_260215

  • 75% (87 respondents) did not support him then and do not support him now.

  • 19.8% (23 respondents) supported him then and still do.

  • 1.7% (2 respondents) supported him then but no longer do.

  • 1.7% (2 respondents) did not support him initially but now do.

  • 1.7% (2 respondents) selected none of the above.

Key takeaways:

  • 21.55% of respondents (23) currently support Trump.
  • 76.72% of respondents (89) currently do not support Trump.
  • 86.73% of the respondents (98) reported being over 64 years of age. Data_Q7_260216.

Differences in age is therefore not a siginificant factor in the overall results.

Views among respondents appear largely stable over time, with relatively few reporting that they changed their support. Of those who did change:

  • 2 respondents changed their view to support Trump.
  • 2 respondents changed their view to not support Trump.
  • Interestingly, all 4 of them cited Trump’s actions while in office and his statements and personal behavior as the top reasons. Data_Q2_260215

Views of Respondents Currently Supporting Trump

  • This group of 23 repondents reported that the top two reasons for supporting Trump are his immigration and economic policies. Data_Q3_260216
    • There were 4 comments related to this question. The second one appears to be from someone who does not support Trump.
  • This group reported feeling favorable toward Trump, with 2/3 of them feeling very favorable. Data_Q4_260216
  • The top worry of this group was reported to be economic. Data_Q5_260216
    • There were 4 comments related to this question.
  • This group’s primary source of information was reported to be conservative media. Data_Q6_260216
    • There were 3 comments related to this question.
  • Most of the respondents in this group reported to be personally affected by US policies. Data_Q8_260216
    • There were 2 comments related to this question.

Views of Respondents Not Currrently Supporting Trump

  • This group of 89 was the largest in the survey (76.70%). All of the respondents in this group had a very unfavorable view of Trump. Data_Q4_260216
  • The respondents’ top concern about the US government and its policies was the stability of US’ democratic institutions (40.7%) Data_Q5_260216
    • There were 18 comments related to this question.
  • This group reported that they were most influenced by US mainstream media and non-US or international media. Data_Q6_260216
    • There were 4 comments related to this question.
  • The respondents of this group reported that they were affected most by US government policies as observers (41.38%) Data_Q8_260216
    • There were 8 comments related to this question.

Editor’s Summary

I anticipate that everyone will interpret these survey results based on their own beliefs to some extent, including me. But, based on the numbers (granted, they’re not statistically significant), here are my own takeaways.

  • The respondents’ feelings were very strong on both sides, seeming to mirror the polarization of this issue in the US.
  • Of those who felt highly unfavorable toward Trump’s administration, their primary reason was the fear of losing democratic institutions. These are high-level, broad fears about what the US stands for. The respondents felt most affected as observers.
  • Of those who felt just as strongly in the opposite direction, their primary reasons were economic and immigration-related. These are lower-level fears, confirmed by them also feeling personally affected.

My own interpretation: These are the divisions I have observed as a journalist throughout both Trump administrations. The majority wants democracy, and others want what they feel is in their own best interest. This division is a fight for the soul of the US.