Trump, Harris supporters deeply divided on issues of migration, government role - poll

Just over half of Donald Trump supporters and 87% of Kamala Harris supporters believe that religion should be kept separate from government policies, a poll by the Pew Research Center published on Monday. 

The poll, which saw data collected from 4527 registered voters from April 8-14 and August 5-11, also found that Trump and Harris supporters' had widely differing views when it came to gun ownership. While 89% of Trump supporters said that they felt gun ownership does more to increase safety by allowing law-abiding citizens to protect themselves - while only 18% of Harris supporters said the same. 

Migration, race and ethnicity 

Another dividing issue is the United States’s history of slavery. While 80% of Harris supporters said they believed the legacy of slavery continued to impact the position of Black Americans to a great deal or fair amount today, only 24% of Trump supporters shared the belief. 

The issue of immigration was also a divisive issue for the different groups - with 88% of Harrus supporters agreeing to the statement ‘America’s openness to people from all over the world is essential to who we are as a nation’ while only 34% of Trump supporters said the same. 

Trump became widely known for his immigration policies during his time as president, with him planning the construction of a border wall in an attempt to circumvent Mexican migrants crossing into US territory. 

The daughter of a Jamaican father and Indian mother, according to Reuters, Harris is the daughter of migrants - her ethnic identity has become a talking point for Trump, according to the Associated Press. 

“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black. So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” Trump said while addressing the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago earlier this month.

The view of the criminal justice system was also a dividing issue for the two groups, although somewhat less extremely so. Just under 40% of Harris supporters said that they thought the criminal justice system was not tough enough on criminals, however more than double the number of Trump supporters said the same (83%).

One of the more unifying issues was that of women’s growing contributions and acceptance in American society. Some 27% of Trump supporters felt that women’s gains in society came at the expense of men’s, while 11% of Harris supporters said the same.

The role of the US government

The responsibilities of the government were a dividing issue for the voters - with Trump and Harris supporters seemingly envisioning a very different America.

Trump voters mostly preferred a smaller government which provided fewer services (84%), while Harris supporters were less likely to think the same (22%). Only 21% of Trump supporters said they thought the government should do more to solve societal problems, while 76% of Harris supporters expressed the sentiment.

On the issue of healthcare, 32% of Trump supporters said they felt the government had a responsibility to ensure all Americans have coverage - while 91% of Harris supporters held this belief. 

Trump supporters were also more sceptical on the role of welfare, with 72% claiming that government aid to the poor does more harm than good - a claim only 18% of Harris supporters agreed with. 

In one of the more unifying issues discovered by the poll, 77% of Trump supporters and 83% of Harris supporters agreed social security should not in any way be reduced.

International policies

Turning an eye to the US’s role in global affairs, 79% of Harris supporters said that the US should take into account the interests of its allies even if it meant making compromises - something 40% of Trump supporters agreed with. 

When it came to the US’s position as a military superpower, 55% of Harris supporters and 76% of Trump supporters said they felt it was important US policies try to maintain the US’s position.