Washington, D.C. — A postelection poll conducted by the Center for American Progress and GBA Strategies found that both supporters of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are at odds with congressional Republicans on whether issues such as cutting the social safety net and lowering taxes for corporations should be priorities for the nation. The poll also found stark divisions between both groups of voters on President-elect Trump’s signature issue of building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The survey captured what was on voters’ minds going into the election and what issues they would like to see the next administration and Congress set as priorities.
The survey found that solid majorities of both Trump and Clinton voters support concrete policies designed to improve the economic security of working families, including paid family and medical leave and child care support, as well as the need to clean up government by addressing the role of special-interest money in politics. Additionally, poll results indicated that Trump and Clinton supporters share a strong consensus for a comprehensive legislative package to strengthen border security and create a path to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants, and there is a strong majority of support across both groups of voters for universal background checks on all gun sales.
“While the outcome of the election was a vote against the status quo in Washington, it does not equate to an electoral mandate for political leaders to pursue radical policies that divide the country and undermine the economic standing of American families,” said CAP Senior Fellow John Halpin. “Policymakers should turn their attention to the ideas that will help mend a divided nation.”
GBA Strategies conducted an online survey from November 9 to November 14, 2016, of 2,000 registered voters who indicated they voted in the November 2016 election. The survey carries a margin of error of 2.2 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level. Top-line findings include:
- Half of Trump’s voters said they voted for him mostly to “shake up the political establishment” in Washington and fewer than 3 in 10 said they voted mostly for his policy agenda.
- Trump’s voters were primarily driven by anti-establishment and anti-elite sentiments.
- There are notable divides between Clinton and Trump voters in terms of openness to rising diversity.
- Both Trump and Clinton voters are at odds with congressional Republicans on issues such as Social Security, Medicare, and corporate taxes.
- There is notable alignment between Trump and Clinton voters on progressive issue priorities such as equal pay, money in politics, gun violence, and criminal justice reform.
- Strong majorities of both Trump and Clinton voters support a series of concrete proposals to advance economic security for all Americans, to protect the nation, and to repair systems of government.
Read the CAP and GBA Strategies polling memo, “American Voters Did Not Endorse Trump’s Extremist Policy Agenda in 2016 Election,” online here (PDF) and review the top-line results here (PDF).
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For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, contact Liz Bartolomeo at [email protected] or 202.481.8151.