Press Release

WASHINGTON, DC — Just over half of the working-class swing voters who supported President Trump disagree with him on one or more issues, according to a new report by Working America, the community affiliate of the AFL-CIO. The new “Front Porch Focus Group” report uses qualitative and quantitative data gleaned from nearly 1,000 conversations with swing voters in central Ohio to examine attitudes toward the president and his policies in his first 100 days. Based on these face-to-face conversations, the findings show weakening enthusiasm among a solid slice of Trump’s base and underscore how introducing new information from a trusted messenger can move voters and erode support for Trump.

“Our face-to-face conversations revealed fissures in support for President Trump and ways to persuade swing voters,” said Working America Executive Director Karen Nussbaum. “To break through the Fox News echo chamber, we have to reach people on their doorsteps with new information delivered by someone voters can relate to.”

Among the topline findings from the report:

• Roughly half of Trump’s working-class swing voters are “Searchers” who can be moved in a progressive direction when offered new information about his policies. After hearing about his policies, 33 percent of Trump swing voters disapproved of his plan to cut taxes on the rich. In all, 53 percent of Trump voters said they disliked his position on at least one issue.
• Trump’s working-class support may be softening, but it is by no means inevitable that his swing voters will turn against him. A solid 56 percent of Trump swing voters said that they get information about politics from cable TV, mostly Fox News. As a result, they hear little criticism of him.
• Trump voters can be moved on some issues, but they are not concerned about alleged Russia ties, his cabinet appointees or possible business conflicts. Only 5 percent of Trump voters said they worried about ties to Russia; 10 percent expressed concern about his business interests; and only 12 percent were critical of any administration official.
• The gap in intensity between Trump’s working-class supporters and the intensity of his opponents is striking. While 37 percent of Trump voters strongly approved of his performance as president, 67 percent of Clinton voters strongly disapproved — a 30-point intensity gap.

The findings are based on 976 conversations with working-class Ohioans in “front porch focus groups” — interviews held in person at voters’ front doors — conducted by Working America canvassers in Columbus, Delaware, Lancaster and other central Ohio communities from March 6 to April 5. Among the swing voters canvassed, 43 percent voted for Trump, 38 percent for Clinton and 6 percent for another candidate. The sample consisted of people likely to vote in the 2018 midterms who lived in a household with an annual income of $75,000. Ninety-seven percent of voters in the sample were white.