MaltaToday Survey | Two in every three dislike Trump. That’s huge!

MaltaToday Survey finds that more Labour voters are likely to be keen on new US President... sad.

A MaltaToday survey shows that two in every three Maltese dislike Donald Trump
A MaltaToday survey shows that two in every three Maltese dislike Donald Trump

Two in every three Maltese have told MaltaToday they have a negative impression of the new US President, Donald Trump, the property tycoon who won power on a xenophobic and protectionist platform by securing the electoral college – although falling short of over 2.8 million votes in the popular count.

But while among Nationalist voters in 2013, fewer than one in 10 have a positive impression of the new US president, among Labour voters one in four say they have a favourable impression of Trump, according to a MaltaToday survey.  

A strong majority in both parties have a negative impression of the President – 74% among PN voters and 58% among PL voters.

This result suggests that the right-wing US president might have slightly more favour amongst the voting base of the nominally centre-left PL, than in the centre-right PN.

At European level, Trump has been criticised by democratic parties of all orientations, except those standing on the far right end of the political spectrum. In Malta both parties had expressed themselves against Trump’s executive order banning entry to nationals from seven Muslim majority countries.

The survey shows that among the general population only 15% have a positive impression of the US President.

But while only 8% of PN voters in 2013 said they have a positive impression of Trump, the percentage rises to 24% among PL voters. Among switchers (PN voters in 2008 who voted PL in 2013), 20% have a favourable impression of Trump.

The survey also shows that while university-educated respondents have the least favourable opinion of the US President, respondents who followed a post-secondary course without attending university have the most favourable impression of Trump.  This suggests that Trump’s appeal in Malta is strongest among middle-class respondents who lack a university level of education.

And while only 10% of university graduates have a favourable impression of Trump, the percentage rises to 16% among secondary-educated respondents and to 21% among the post-secondary educated.

Unsurprisingly, due to Trump’s track record for sexist comments, the survey also shows male Maltese respondents slightly more favourable to Trump than women. While 17% of men have a positive impression of Trump, only 13% of women express the same judgement.