Republicans More Likely To Be Scared About the World Today: Poll

Republicans are more likely to be scared about the world today than Democrats or independents, a new poll has found.

When asked as part of a YouGov survey on political violence and extremism: “Would you say you are very scared, somewhat scared, not very scared, or not scared at all about the way things are going in the world today?” 35 percent of Republican respondents said they were very scared, compared to 24 percent of Democrats and 34 percent of independents who said the same.

Additionally, 46 percent of Republicans said they were somewhat scared, compared to 43 percent of Democrats and independents.

The YouGov poll was a survey of 1,113 US adult citizens taken between October 17 and 19, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

Dr Thomas Gift, an associate professor in political science at University College London, told Newsweek that conservatives tend to be “less embracive of uncertainties and changes than liberals,” and added, “For that reason, it’s not surprising that a large fraction of Republicans display fear about today’s world.”

Dr Gift said that the fears likely stem from “rapid social, technological, and political evolutions” such as immigration, culture wars, automation, and international affairs, which he thinks could benefit Donald Trump in the election.

“With his unique brand of grievance politics, Trump has been effective at tapping into those fears, painting America as a nation on fire and exploiting it to his personal advantage,” he said.

The Trump campaign has been emailed for comment.

The poll did not ask respondents why they were scared, or what specifically they were scared about, but it went on to ask respondents how likely they thought various future scenarios were, including economic downturn, loss of international power, and threats to democracy.

It found that 44 percent of respondents thought “total economic collapse” in the next 10 years was likely, 40 percent thought it was likely that the U.S. will no longer be a
global superpower, 36 percent thought there could be a “total breakdown of law and order,” and 35 percent thought a civil war between Democrats and Republicans is likely.

Throughout the 2024 election Republicans have expressed more concerns than Democrats about the future of the economy and their current economic well-being — 76 percent of Trump supporters believe they are worse off today than they were four years ago, but only 19 percent of Harris supporters feel the same.

The Harris campaign has also embraced fears around democracy that have been central to this election. A study published by Impact Social found that Harris’ focus on allegations that Trump holds anti-democratic by John Kelly, Mike Pence, and Liz Cheney, among others, is likely to resonate with swing voters.

Other election issues that voters are concerned about are immigration, abortion, and healthcare.

Abortion has just overtaken immigration as the second most important issue among voters according to a Redfield & Wilton Strategies October poll that found that women prioritize it over border control, which men tend to rank higher.

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