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DemocratSinceBirth

(101,570 posts) Fri Nov 21, 2025, 12:05 PM Nov 21

Why Trump Has A Floor Of Thirty Percent Support [View all]

Studies on authoritarian tendencies in the U.S. population have produced a range of results, often depending on the specific scale or questions used.

Susceptibility to Authoritarian Appeals: A 2024 survey by PRRI found that 43% of Americans scored high on the Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale (RWAS), and 41% scored high on the Child-Rearing Authoritarianism Scale (CRAS). The report concludes that four in ten Americans are susceptible to authoritarian appeals.

Highly Right-Wing Authoritarian: A 2021 survey that used psychologist Bob Altemeyer's right-wing authoritarianism scale found that 26 percent of U.S. respondents were "highly right-wing authoritarian" compared to other countries.

Openness to Authoritarian System: A 2024 survey showed a "worrying" 41% of Americans think "having a strong leader who does not have to bother with parliament or elections" is a "very good or fairly good system" for governing.

Sympathy for Authoritarianism: A 2018 report found that 29% of Americans say that an authoritarian alternative to democracy would be favorable.

These figures illustrate that a substantial minority of the American population holds views that align with various measures of authoritarianism or are open to non-democratic forms of governance.

Courtesy of Gemini

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Why Trump Has A Floor Of Thirty Percent Support [View all] DemocratSinceBirth Nov 21 OP

That thirty percent are his people. pwb Nov 21 #1

But he lost half his people in the Republican civil war womanofthehills Nov 21 #13

True, but Shipwack Nov 21 #35

Have you heard of "kayfabe"? 'Cause what you described smells like kayfabe. 0rganism Nov 21 #36

Our educational system has failed. DemocratSinceBirth Nov 21 #2

as a career educator I'm afraid I have to agree, but with caveats mike_c Nov 21 #22

I have three adult sons Diamond_Dog Nov 21 #38

As a retired reading specialist... maddiemom Nov 21 #44

My mother was a remedial reading teacher. Diamond_Dog Nov 21 #45

My second son was dyslexic Jilly_in_VA Nov 21 #52

An amazing number of celebrities and other public figures... maddiemom Nov 23 #54

In my personal experience, conservatives love a "strongman". Midnight Writer Nov 21 #3

Many Republicans over on X are hating Trump womanofthehills Nov 21 #14

I would have thought it would be higher than that. nt iemanja Nov 21 #4

Four in ten is pretty high and frightening. DemocratSinceBirth Nov 21 #5

Do you mean contemporary German elections? iemanja Nov 21 #7

1930s. DemocratSinceBirth Nov 21 #8

I believe it's lower than that. gab13by13 Nov 21 #9

I'm talking about authoritarianist tendencies iemanja Nov 21 #19

Meh. Trump's MAGA just hate just LiBeraLs leftstreet Nov 21 #6

MAGAS hate small l liberals because they oppose authoritarianism. DemocratSinceBirth Nov 21 #10

Not sure what they hate the most leftstreet Nov 21 #11

Stop posting AI summaries as news or editorials. intheflow Nov 21 #12

AI is here to stay ands it's fast womanofthehills Nov 21 #17

Thank you. If I would have posted the numbers I would have been asked for a source. DemocratSinceBirth Nov 21 #18

Thanks. intheflow Nov 21 #39

Unless your name is EarlG, I don't think that's your call. People generally Maru Kitteh Nov 21 #26

That *is* my opinion. intheflow Nov 21 #42

The DSB of of old would have reacted poorly. DemocratSinceBirth Nov 21 #53

and it comes up with "26 percent of U.S. respondents were 'highly right-wing authoritarian' compared to other countries" thesquanderer Nov 21 #30

Just like every society has 20 percent needing support, they also have 30 percent assholes. TheBlackAdder Nov 21 #15

When I was growing up, the general assumption was haele Nov 21 #16

I would bet that these numbers would hold around the same for every human population you look at AZJonnie Nov 21 #20

That 1/3 breakdown seems to happen a lot in different situations. Collimator Nov 21 #34

I think it is part of our psyche, but also reflective of the fact that what is not binary tends to be a continuum AZJonnie Nov 21 #41

I'm not a mathematician or a trained artist. . . Collimator Nov 21 #46

Without looking it up and instead relying on memory here AZJonnie Nov 21 #47

So, I looked up how the Golden Ratio works/what it is and its relation to Fibonacci Sequence AZJonnie Nov 21 #51

The non-stop 24/7 propaganda apparatus keeps the floor at a hard 25-35% FrankBooth Nov 21 #21

People who represent those percentages are charter members of the dobleremolque Nov 21 #23

Because that's also the same amount who are glued to Fox 24 hours a day. Initech Nov 21 #24

I would happily deport 30% of authoritarian dreamers. BComplex Nov 21 #25

his "floor" is 100% white "christian" nationalists Nigrum Cattus Nov 21 #27

Personally, I don't want that 1/3 tearing down my and your United States/America. chouchou Nov 21 #28

30% of Americans are hardcore bigots BlueWaveNeverEnd Nov 21 #29

OK, but are they good with a dangerously stupid authoritarian who is screwing THEM left and right? William Seger Nov 21 #31

30% support for authoritarianism is common across many nations. unblock Nov 21 #32

Nixon always retained 25-30% support to the end Arazi Nov 21 #33

Morons will be morons until something happens to them. mdbl Nov 21 #37

"Why Trump Has A Floor Of Thirty Percent Support." Botany Nov 21 #40

Forget what an AI regurgitation machine says - listen to the blog wisdom of 20 years: it's the 27% crazification factor muriel_volestrangler Nov 21 #43

The 30% are bubble people. kacekwl Nov 21 #48

Authoritarians I_UndergroundPanther Nov 21 #49

The US is one of the churchiest countries remaining Bluetus Nov 21 #50

Trump supporters are the 1/3 that would round up and kill 1/3 while the last 1/3 watches. LudwigPastorius Nov 23 #55