politics

This Study Proves Trump Supporters Are More Likely to Be Sexist

A supporter holds a sign at a Trump rally. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

As Howard Stern pointed out last week, Donald Trump has always been sexist. “None of this was hidden,” Stern said. “This is who Trump is. He always rated women. He always talked in a misogynistic, sexist kind of way.” So it’s no surprise that his supporters share a similar attitude: In fact, a survey conducted back in June suggests that hostility toward women was a key factor in determining his supporters, even before the tape dropped.

Researchers Carly Wayne, Nicholas Valentino, and Marzia Oceno conducted a nationally representative survey of 700 U.S. citizens. They were asked whether they agree or disagree with the statements: “Most women interpret innocent remarks or acts as being sexist”; “Many women are actually seeking special favors, such as hiring policies that favor women over men, under the guise of asking for equality”; “Feminists are not actually seeking for women to have more power than men”; and, “Feminists are making entirely reasonable demands of men.”

As they wrote in the Washington Post, they found that “sexism was strongly and significantly correlated with support for Trump, even after accounting for party identification, ideology, authoritarianism and ethnocentrism” — other supposed indicators of Trump support.

They also asked questions to gauge “benevolent sexism,” such as “In a disaster, women should be rescued before men” and “Women have a quality of purity that few men possess.” Interestingly, they found that benevolent sexism isn’t a good indicator of Trump support. In other words, as Vox points out, Trump voters aren’t just those who favor “traditional” roles for men and women — they’re actively hostile toward the feminist movement.

Study Finds Trump Supporters Are More Likely to Be Sexist