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Monday, January 14th, 2019

Personal values and support for Donald Trump during the 2016 US presidential primary

Author:     Ryne A. Sheman
Source:     Personality and Individual Differences
Publication Date:     Volume 128, 1 July 2018, Pages 33-38
 Link: Personal values and support for Donald Trump during the 2016 US presidential primary
Stephan:   Since businessman grifter Donald Trump, became a politician grifter, and then president, I have been paying close attention to how and, more importantly why, people could possibly be taken in by a man who so clearly mentally unsound and dishonest. Here finally is some good research that directly addresses this question. As I suspected the problem is not Trump, he is merely a pustule on the body politic. The real problem is that about a third of Americans are... well, read the paper.

Highlights

• Personal values predict support for Donald Trump beyond political attitudes.
• Low Altruism, high Power, Commerce, & Tradition predict Trump Support.
• People with similar values to Trump were more likely to support his candidacy.
• Values were a stronger predictor of support than political attitudes.

Abstract

Donald Trump’s ascension to the Republican Party nomination and election as President of the United States in 2016 was a surprise to many political analysts. This article examines the notion that personal values played an important role in support for Trump. Using data from the Trump Similarity Values Test (N = 1825), a web based personality test that provides users with feedback on their similarity to Donald Trump, this article shows that personal values played a role in support for Donald Trump. First, people who supported Trump were more likely have a value profile characterized by low Altruism and high Power, Commerce, and Tradition. Second, people with a values profile similar to Trump’s (presumed) values profile were more likely to support Trump. These results held even after controlling for party affiliation and political ideology, indicating that personal values were an even stronger predictor of […]

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1 Comment

  1. Larry Dossey, MD on Monday, January 14, 2019 at 12:09 pm

    Irony of ironies: Trump is widely supported by evangelical Christians, who are “supposed” to be marked by humility and lovingkindness — not by “low altruism” and love for “power,” as this study suggests. Hypocrisy unleashed.

    Great article. Keep ’em coming, Stephan.

    ~ Larry Dossey, MD