The NZ Herald ran a poll in 2016 and The Conversation did a survey in 2020. These paint an interesting picture:
* 9% in 2016
* 11% in 2020
* 23% in 2024
That's more than double since the 2020 survey and two-and-a-half times the support Trump has since the NZ Herald ran its first poll eight years ago. What's changed in the last four years? Clearly an increasing number of New Zealanders are unplugging from the mainstream media and making more independent choices on where to get their news.
When we look at the age breakdown from the poll we can see that clearly and how it leads to a more balanced view of Trump.
* 28% of 18-29 year olds support Trump.
* 25% of 30-44 year olds support Trump.
* 16% of 45-59 year olds support Trump.
* 13% of 60+ year olds support Trump.
Support for Donald Trump declines rapidly among older audiences who are much more likely to watch the 6 o'clock news or consume legacy media that has a heavy anti-Trump bias. Younger New Zealanders are more than twice as likely to support Trump.
Among Kiwi men and women we see a similar divide, only 11% of women vs 31% of men support Trump. Talbot Mills didn't provide a breakdown for young men vs young women, but we could infer a similar split showing an outright majority of young men in New Zealand support Trump.
The one aspect of the poll that got some attention was the breakdown by party. Only NZ First voters had greater support for Trump over Harris, and only NZ First, ACT, and the Maori Party did not have majority support for Harris.
* NZ First: 48% Trump, 35% Harris
* ACT: 32% Trump, 47% Harris
* National: 26% Trump, 55% Harris
* Maori: 18% Trump, 45% Harris
* Labour 14% Trump, 65% Harris
* Green: 8% Trump, 66% Harris
A key takeaway should be that alternatives to legacy media like Reality Check Radio which allow for hosts and guests to freely speak positively about Trump can have a big impact, and that there is a growing gap for new media that speaks to younger people who are rapidly shifting their political views to favour populist and patriotic leaders.
Dieuwe is the editor of Right Minds NZ. - In addition to conservative politics and reactionary thought, he likes books, gardening, biking, tech, reformed theology, beauty, and tradition. This article was sourced HERE
7 comments:
It isn't the business of non-Americans to tell Americans how to vote. However, Harris will be better for NZ than Trump whose isolationist polices opened the door for China to expand their influence in the Pacific (as well as Africa. Asia and South America). Both are likely to be terrible for the States, who could very well lose their world dominance over the next few years.
Considering how biased the msm in NZ is, plus the bias shown by companies like Google, it is surprising it is that high.
I was very big on Trump in 2016, before the promise and the rhetoric gave way to reality. Once in office, he was a great disappointment, not the least due to the extremely poor staffing appointments and the fact that Jarrod Kushner played such a large role. In other words, he was doomed to be more style than substance, because very few around him wanted to change anything, and they were the same GOP shills and Israel Firsters that should have been avoided if America was to be made Great Again.
Now, in 2024, Trump has been almost completely absorbed into the mainstream - his donors are Silicon Valley and Wall Street billionaires who see Trump as the best way to advance their interests, and, of course, single issue Jews who want to see America take out Iran for Israel's benefit. Trump may do a photo op at McDonalds, but he no longer represents the Forgotten Americans (i.e. poorer and middle class Whites) that he purported to in 2016.
Trump's biggest achievement will be that he has "radicalised" and given hope to younger White male Americans. In 10 or 15 years, some of them will be influential in US politics and can start to actually MAGA, rather than use it as a slogan.
As one clear indicator of what I mean, the MSM and the "radical left" don't seem to care at all if Trump wins another term in 2024, because they now know he is just another GOP puppet of billionaires and special interests. In 2016, this was not the case, or at least not outwardly.
A lot of Trump supporters are living 8 years in the past and need to realise that it makes little difference if Trump wins or loses.
Do people still read and believe the "stuff" that the Herald publishes today? Wonders will never cease!
Kevan
The age breakdown reinforces the obvious fact that older folk understand the way the world works rather better than the young. I believe the expression "Older and wiser" concisely sums it up.
I knew after Trump won the presidency that the mainstream media was flawed. They refused to accept he was popular. They instead choose to constantly deride him, the Republicans and anyone who voted or backed him. They started believing their own warped sense of reality and lies which culminated with outrage when Trump won. So then blamed Russian collusion. More lies. Whilst the vile vitriol continued unabated from every liberal voice for months on end. I concluded how could the media have been so wrong about an election result.? They were either incompetent and disregarded polls or saw themselves as the true voice of democracy. They were and remain neither.
Like CXH, I too, am surprising that Trump’s standing with Kiwis is that high, as the column claims, but it’s got nothing to do with the bias or otherwise of the msm in New Zealand. It is because Trump is such a deplorable individual, and he is promising America such dangerous proposals and policies. He has given us all the proof of the kind of man he is, and the damage that will result to world trade of his isolationist and across-the-board tariff proposals. That will affect this country, especially, given our dependence on trade. Still, it is for the American people to decide who the president will be – well no – actually it is the Electoral College. This is capable of over ruling the people’s vote, and has done so twice in the last seven elections. It’s an afront to democracy
Leaving policy aside, decency, integrity and empathy are important in democratic leadership. Trump has got none. Given the closeness of the polls, it would seem that us Kiwis have different values generally to Americans.
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