Study Explores Factors Behind Minority Voter Support For Donald Trump

A new study published in Psychological Science suggests that support for "strong", rule-breaking political leaders is not exclusively linked to right-wing ideology. The research indicates that ethnic minorities, regardless of their political affiliation, may be more inclined to favour such leaders compared to White individuals who identify as left-leaning. This tendency appears to be connected to lower levels of generalised trust, with groups exhibiting less trust in others showing greater support for authoritative leadership styles.

The findings published in Psychological Science challenge traditional assumptions about the factors influencing political preferences for dominant figures like former President Donald Trump. While support for strong leaders has often been associated with conservative viewpoints, the study suggests that ethnicity and levels of trust play significant roles.

Prior research in political psychology has largely focused on the impact of personality traits and ideological values on leadership preferences. This research has generally concluded that individuals on the political right are more likely to desire leaders who are assertive, unwavering, and willing to disregard rules to achieve their aims. However, these earlier studies primarily relied on data from White populations.

As minority populations grow, it is increasingly important to understand how ethnic background influences leadership preferences. Recent trends, such as increasing support for Donald Trump among Latino and Black voters, indicate that existing explanations may be incomplete.

"I was born in the Netherlands to parents of Indian origin and spent much of my formative years in Japan and in Texas. As an adult, I have been at institutions of higher learning in different regions of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands," said study author Krishnan Nair, a postdoctoral research associate with the Illinois Strategic Organisations Initiative at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

"The experiences I have had interacting with people from varying ethnic, religious, political, and linguistic backgrounds have fuelled my interest in better understanding differences in attitudes and values between different groups. This project is a reflection of that."

The researchers hypothesised that generalised trust - a broad belief in the reliability of others - could help explain why certain groups are attracted to strong leaders. They proposed that groups with lower levels of trust would be more likely to support leaders who promise control, order, and punishment of wrongdoers, even if it means compromising democratic norms.