Welcome to the 2016 Iowa Caucus by DonkeyHotey via Flickr
Welcome to the 2016 Iowa Caucus
In this specific election cycle it can be characterized as interesting and polarizing. Unlike the previous two elections the narrative has been deemed controversial and vocal on a number of issues. In this survey conducted by the Pew Research Center (PRC) found high levels of dissatisfaction with regards to changes to the country, the federal government, the economy, and press coverage.
The PRC research examined a wide range of topics like the divisive nature of the campaign trail, how life has changed in the United States (U.S), and the perceptions on the different candidates and the actual state of affairs. Whatever side of the fence you are on it is clear this election matters to people. The field has been competitive on the Democratic and Republican primary in the race for the party´s nomination.
One of the many findings from registered voters that participated in the survey is 46 percent of registered voters said life in the U.S worse today compared to 50 years ago, according to the PRC. In addition, a separate 34 percent said life is better while 14 percent think it has stayed more or less the same.
When it comes down to discussing the U.S economic system sharp and stark differences exist between both parties naturally. On the one hand Democrats lean towards categorizing the system favoring power interests and for Republicans, particularly those supporting Donald Trump, believe the economic system. Nevertheless, Bernie Sanders (91 percent) supporters are more likely to describe by the likes of Hillary Clinton (73 percent) followers as an unfair economic system.
How is the approval rating for Barack Obama? Surprisingly performing better than expected. Currently, 51 percent of the public approves of the way Obama is handling his job while 44 percent disapprove. It is the first time in almost three years into his second term his approval rating is now more favorable.
Elsewhere 54 percent of the majority of Americans consider the Republican Party as “too extreme” and for Democrats only 37 percent continue to associate it with too extreme. The feeling of registered voters in the view of the government is angry and frustrated. Out of the participants 22 percent were angry at the federal government, yet 59 percent were frustrated. Just 17 percent were content.
The election cycle has revealed a distinct and perhaps different dynamic this time around. There are deep political divisions and there is not a popular mainstream belief that is prevalent. It is safe to say that the presidency is much more scrutinized and contested this election season.
Voter Perception on the Press Coverage and Media Consumption on the Candidates
Since the inaugural and controversial speech by Trump to run for president the consensus is there has been excessive media coverage. Confirming to the results by PRC, three quarters or 75 percent of registered voters said news outlets dedicated too much press coverage.
Furthermore, Clinton facing a contentious battle with Sanders was also heavily covered by the media. Precisely 41 percent or four out of ten believed she had too much media exposure whereas 48 percent had given her the right amount of news coverage.
The challenger Ted Cruz was reported to have 57 percent of about the right amount of coverage by the press. John Kasich had a large 60 percent of too little coverage by sampled voters in this study. Sanders scored 53 percent of an amount of “about right” while 29 percent said he had “too little” media buzz.
Social media has remained an instrumental force and platform for the majority of the candidates since its widespread adoption. The following graphic by Demographics Pro offers insight on the candidates’ followers profile and interests:
Donald Trump´s Fighting Followers by DemographicsPro
From the visual above Trump supporters have an affinity towards violent sports and are 2.8x times more likely than the Twitter average to be interested in mixed martial arts (MMA) or professional wrestling. The rest of the field does not come close to producing the numbers that Trump actually does.
Another separate analysis provides a glimpse into the Media consumption habits of the candidate´s followers compare to the Twitter average:
Infographic and chart on extreme polarization in media consumption. Visual by DemographicsPro
Major findings or highlights:
- “Trump followers are nearly 12x morelikely than average to read Men’s Humor.”
- “While John Kasich is often mentioned as a “moderate” relative to Ted Cruz and Donald Trump, followers match or exceed even Ted Cruz’s followers in their strict adherence to conservative media – having 126x higheraffinity for the conservative National Review than Twitter average.”
- “Hillary Clinton’s followers are tuned into the political soap opera, being5x more likely than average to read Politico. They also show an interest in pure celebrity soap opera media, reading Gawker and Jezebel (a Gawker Media site) at 18.5x and 19.0x higher than the Twitter average, respectively.”
- “Bernie Sanders reaches prototypical millennials, consuming highly digestible and technology focused media. His followers read the statistics-driven FiveThirtyEight and the science blog Nerdist at 21.0x and 23.0x the Twitter average, respectively.”
Takeaways and Conclusions
The 2016 U.S election has featured a wide-range of stories, debates and controversies. The American public has growing weariness around the candidate´s ability to deliver or offer meaningful change. The fact remains registered voters along with the rest of the American population are passionate about what is happening in the country.
Unlike the previous two elections the discourse has radically shifted for both parties. The Sanders campaign has forced the Clinton camp to adopt a more socialist approach while Trump and company push the scales to the far right.
The next round of primaries are going to offer a bigger clue as to who will finally be the nominees competing for the White House in November.
Anthony Carranza 