And that simultaneously, they are also both less supportive than the general population of free trade agreements, while also less supportive of socialized medicine?
We were really constrained on question space, but heard! We'll add it next up — and probably swap it out for LGBT issues. Dems have had a 20+ point lead in both polls we've tracked that in.
Years ago, back when the Time Person of the Year and 100 Most Influential People were a bigger deal culturally, there would be polls on whether different prominent people belonged on the list. IIRC business executives would get much lower online votes than any other group of people, especially compared to pop stars. Part of understanding what makes some elite and how they operate involves having to read a lot of stuff that is pretty boring.
I'd be curious if the question changed from "who is an elite?" to "who holds power in the country?"
I think a lot of the Trumpian railing against professors/journalists/"Those bitches in HR" is that they hold power but aren't elites; that is, they are exerting power that is illegitimate because it doesn't come from money/status/popularity. Maybe that's just the online right, but I'd be curious to see if it bled into general Trump supporters.
And I was gonna say it is very funny I gotta say a lot of billionaires larp as “anti elites” and then realized me growing up fairly privileged myself in Japan (my dad is a retired CEO of bookstore chain), that’s how I was told growing up too.
Like “we are merely middle class. Look at all those ppl who are richer than us”
I think this type or mentality where we draw the line for elite slightly above us is very common
One takeaway I have from that first poll is that the first four categories are not exclusive, but rather combined. The more of those categories you have, the more elite you are.
So if you're a billionaire, but not famous at all, not politically active, and not heavily involved in running a business are you elite? Kind of, but much less elite than a billionaire who runs a business, is politically, and very famous. And that guy (you all thought of the same guy didn't you) is what defines "elite" and it's his beliefs you're thinking of when trying to figure out what elite people believe.
Are politicians elite? Well a famous politician might be elite. AOC isn't a billionaire or a businesswoman, but she can snag two out of four. While a state assembly member whose name nobody knows, they don't seem very elite.
So if some of the beliefs people are attributing to elites seem strange, remember this combination effect. The more categories that get punched, the more elite a person is, and the more their individual beliefs shape perception of "what elites believe".
If you look at the policy views through a lens of self-interest over helping others, who people think elites are politically becomes much clearer. They are “less likely than me” to support things that would cost money or threaten their power.
This is insane. What is making people think the elites support the government owning most businesses?
And that simultaneously, they are also both less supportive than the general population of free trade agreements, while also less supportive of socialized medicine?
Too bad the issue list didn't include immigration. My sense is that crime & immigration are the keys for GOP voters.
Basically they win on those two, lose on healthcare and education, and kind of tie on everything else.
We were really constrained on question space, but heard! We'll add it next up — and probably swap it out for LGBT issues. Dems have had a 20+ point lead in both polls we've tracked that in.
Years ago, back when the Time Person of the Year and 100 Most Influential People were a bigger deal culturally, there would be polls on whether different prominent people belonged on the list. IIRC business executives would get much lower online votes than any other group of people, especially compared to pop stars. Part of understanding what makes some elite and how they operate involves having to read a lot of stuff that is pretty boring.
I'd be curious if the question changed from "who is an elite?" to "who holds power in the country?"
I think a lot of the Trumpian railing against professors/journalists/"Those bitches in HR" is that they hold power but aren't elites; that is, they are exerting power that is illegitimate because it doesn't come from money/status/popularity. Maybe that's just the online right, but I'd be curious to see if it bled into general Trump supporters.
Great poll and article!!!
And I was gonna say it is very funny I gotta say a lot of billionaires larp as “anti elites” and then realized me growing up fairly privileged myself in Japan (my dad is a retired CEO of bookstore chain), that’s how I was told growing up too.
Like “we are merely middle class. Look at all those ppl who are richer than us”
I think this type or mentality where we draw the line for elite slightly above us is very common
One takeaway I have from that first poll is that the first four categories are not exclusive, but rather combined. The more of those categories you have, the more elite you are.
So if you're a billionaire, but not famous at all, not politically active, and not heavily involved in running a business are you elite? Kind of, but much less elite than a billionaire who runs a business, is politically, and very famous. And that guy (you all thought of the same guy didn't you) is what defines "elite" and it's his beliefs you're thinking of when trying to figure out what elite people believe.
Are politicians elite? Well a famous politician might be elite. AOC isn't a billionaire or a businesswoman, but she can snag two out of four. While a state assembly member whose name nobody knows, they don't seem very elite.
So if some of the beliefs people are attributing to elites seem strange, remember this combination effect. The more categories that get punched, the more elite a person is, and the more their individual beliefs shape perception of "what elites believe".
If you look at the policy views through a lens of self-interest over helping others, who people think elites are politically becomes much clearer. They are “less likely than me” to support things that would cost money or threaten their power.
In your polling, Elites=the wealthy.