People who voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election believe men are discriminated against more than LGBTQ people, women and most ethnic minorities, according to a new poll conducted by YouGov and The Economist.
The survey asked 1,500 adults across the U.S. a series of questions on topics ranging from politics to baseball from Oct. 14 to Oct. 16. One question asked, “How much discrimination do the following people face in America today?” Respondents were then presented with a list of different demographic groups and could choose “none at all,” “not much,” a fair amount” or “a great deal.”
Forty-nine percent of Trump voters surveyed said men face either “a great deal” (18 percent) or “a fair amount” (31 percent) of discrimination in America today. By contrast, this same group found 41 percent of LGBTQ people, 30 percent of women, 38 percent of African-Americans and 42 percent of Mexican-Americans faced either “a great deal” or a “fair amount” of discrimination.
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Of those who voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, only 11 percent said men face discrimination in the U.S. The vast majority of Clinton voters said LGBTQ people (92 percent), Arab-Americans (91 percent), African-Americans (90 percent), Mexican-Americans (90 percent), women (88 percent), Muslims (95 percent) and immigrants (92) face either “a great deal” or “a fair amount” of discrimination.
In reaction to the responses from Trump voters regarding discrimination, Zeke Stokes, the vice president of programs at GLAAD, a nationwide LGBTQ advocacy group, took aim at the president.
“Since taking office, President Trump has been the bully-in-chief, with egregious attacks including ongoing efforts to ban transgender soldiers from openly serving in the military and revoking nondiscrimination protections for transgender youths at school.”
Transgender people are particularly susceptible to discrimination, harassment and violence, according to the National Center for Transgender Equality. The organization's U.S. Transgender Survey, released in December 2016, found 46 percent of transgender respondents were verbally harassed in the previous year due to their gender identity, and 10 percent were physically attacked during that time period.
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In response to the survey results, released Wednesday, Peter Boykin, founder of Gays for Trump and a Republican candidate for the North Carolina House of Representatives, said, “I think we are all being discriminated by each other.”
However, Boykin did share a sentiment that appeared to shine through among the Trump voters surveyed.
“Right now, the market is more open for people to be of color or gay,” he said. “The tables now have turned where it’s now hurtful to your personal prosperity to be a plain, cisgender white male.”
The YouGov/Economist survey results coincide with Spirit Day, which is celebrated on the third Thursday in October. During the annual campaign, LGBTQ allies “go purple” in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer youth and against bullying. According to the latest data from LGBTQ youth advocacy group GLSEN, 85 percent of LGBTQ students report being verbally harassed and 58 percent said they feel unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation.
