The Economy and Events Still Matter (At Least a Little): Partisans' Presidential Approval in the Trump Era
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Keywords
presidential approval, Donald Trump, polarization, accountability
Department
Political Science
Major
Political Science and French Studies
Abstract
Donald Trump's historically stable and polarized approval ratings raise concerns that partisans' evaluations of Trump are detached from real‐world conditions like the state of the economy and Trump's actions. We show that Republicans' (but not Democrats') approval and strength of (dis)approval tracked with stock market performance and perceptions of the economy. In addition, both Democrats and Republicans rewarded and punished Trump after major events. In some instances, Republicans and Democrats responded to events in similar ways, but in others, events further polarized partisans' views of Trump. At least to some degree, Republican approval responds to the economy and major events.
Faculty Mentor
Brian Newman
Funding Source or Research Program
Summer Undergraduate Research Program
Presentation Session
Session B
Start Date
23-4-2021 3:30 PM
End Date
23-4-2021 3:45 PM
The Economy and Events Still Matter (At Least a Little): Partisans' Presidential Approval in the Trump Era
Donald Trump's historically stable and polarized approval ratings raise concerns that partisans' evaluations of Trump are detached from real‐world conditions like the state of the economy and Trump's actions. We show that Republicans' (but not Democrats') approval and strength of (dis)approval tracked with stock market performance and perceptions of the economy. In addition, both Democrats and Republicans rewarded and punished Trump after major events. In some instances, Republicans and Democrats responded to events in similar ways, but in others, events further polarized partisans' views of Trump. At least to some degree, Republican approval responds to the economy and major events.