NEW YORK, Jan. 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- In the
aftermath of a divisive presidential election, the American people
are united in their belief that the campaign was – and our culture
is – uncivil, according to the seventh annual Civility in
America poll conducted by Weber Shandwick and Powell Tate with
KRC Research. This unified outlook on the state of civility in
America, not surprisingly, divides along partisan lines in terms of
who is responsible, how uncivil the presidential candidates were
and the likelihood that our national civility "crisis" will ease
anytime soon.
A record high 69 percent of Americans believe that the U.S. has
a major civility problem, a view shared equally by people who voted
for Donald Trump or former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Seventy-five percent say
incivility has risen to crisis levels, with Clinton voters more
likely to have that view than those who voted for Trump (81 vs. 72
percent, respectively).
Among the nearly six in 10 Americans (56 percent) who expect
civility to get worse in the next few years, nearly 9 in 10 Clinton
voters (89 percent) named politicians as the group most responsible
for the decline in civility, followed by the Internet/social media
(69 percent) and news media (51 percent). Trump voters blamed the
news media (77 percent), demonstrators/protestors (76
percent) and the Internet/social media (75 percent). Only 28
percent of Clinton voters saw demonstrators or protesters as a
leading reason for the erosion of civility in the years ahead. Only
53 percent of Trump voters cited politicians.
"We have been tracking how civility impacts our nation's social
fabric since 2010, and we have seen a steady increase over that
time in the recognition of how civility is a major problem facing
Americans," said Andy Polansky, CEO
of Weber Shandwick. "Without a doubt, public discourse was
challenged in the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign and the public is
divided about whether we will see an improving environment for
thoughtful dialogue in the public sphere."
While citing the media for contributing to the nation's
incivility, both Trump and Clinton voters said broadcast/cable news
and the Internet/social media are by far their leading sources of
news about national politics. Eighty-three percent of Trump voters
and 88 percent of Clinton supporters said the media is obligated to
report when a public official is lying.
There was also agreement on the uncivil nature of the 2016
presidential campaign. By nearly a 4-to-1 margin (79 vs. 21
percent), Americans found the election uncivil. While substantial
majorities of Trump and Clinton voters (72 and 83 percent,
respectively) viewed the campaign as uncivil, there was significant
disagreement in the two camps about the civility of the two
candidates.
Voters were equally divided over Secretary Clinton's civility
(47 percent uncivil vs. 50 percent civil), but views differ between
Trump and Clinton voters. Eighty percent of Secretary Clinton's
supporters saw her as civil, with only 18 percent saying she was
uncivil. Of Trump's voters, 77 percent said Clinton was uncivil
against 21 percent who thought her civil.
As a candidate, Trump was viewed as uncivil by 72 percent of
American voters, with only 26 percent finding his candidacy civil.
Even a majority of his voters (53 percent) found him uncivil vs.
civil (46 percent). Clinton's voters found Trump more uncivil (89
percent) than civil (nine percent).
|
Presidential
Candidate Civility Perceptions
|
Total
Voters
|
Clinton
Voters
|
Trump
Voters
|
% describe candidate
Clinton as civil during the election
|
50%
|
80%
|
21%
|
% describe candidate
Clinton as uncivil during the election
|
47%
|
18%
|
77%
|
% describe candidate
Trump as civil during the election
|
26%
|
9%
|
46%
|
% describe candidate
Trump as uncivil during the election
|
72%
|
89%
|
53%
|
While majorities of both Trump and Clinton voters said civility
was an important consideration in their decision to vote for their
candidate, the two camps split in their willingness to accept
uncivil campaign rhetoric.
Although only a third of Americans (31 percent) agreed that
"there is nothing wrong with a politician saying what is on their
mind, no matter how uncivil," there was a pronounced difference in
the opinion of Trump and Clinton voters. Nearly half of Trump
voters (48 percent) agreed with this statement while only one out
of five Clinton voters (21 percent) did.
"What these findings suggest is that some of candidate Trump's
campaign rhetoric that was criticized as uncivil was interpreted as
appealing, tell-it-like-it-is authenticity to many voters," said
Pam Jenkins, President of Powell
Tate.
Looking beyond the presidential campaign to the new president's
administration, voters were all but unanimous in saying it's
important for a president to act in a civil manner, with 97 percent
of Trump voters and 99 percent of Clinton voters agreed on that
point.
The voters agreed that political incivility affects the
reputation of the U.S. (86 percent); that uncivil comments by
political leaders encourages greater incivility in society (79
percent); that incivility leads to less political engagement on the
part of the American people (75 percent); that the U.S. is losing
stature as a civil nation (73 percent) and that incivility deters
people from entering public service (59 percent). These views were
held by majorities of both Trump and Clinton voters.
The incivility of the presidential campaign kept some people
from going to the polls altogether: Incivility was cited by 59
percent of non-voters as either a major factor (41 percent ) or
minor factor (18 percent) in their decision not to vote in
2016.
"The American people are aware of, and worried about, the
consequences of the incivility that has infected our society and
political process," said Jack
Leslie, Chairman, Weber Shandwick.
Optimism that the nation will become more civil in the years
ahead followed people's voting patterns with 84 percent of Trump
voters hopeful about the future of civility in America, compared
with only 27 percent of Clinton voters.
The seventh annual Civility in America survey captures
the American public's views on civility in society. Subsequent
reports on civility as it relates to personal interactions, the
workplace and solutions for fostering a more civil public
discourse, will be released in the coming months.
About the Research
Annually since 2010, Weber
Shandwick and Powell Tate, in partnership with KRC Research, have
released Civility in America: A Nationwide Survey. KRC
Research conducted this seventh wave of the Civility in
America survey online from December 9 to
16, 2016, among a sample of 1,126 U.S. adults 18 years and
older, drawn from a national consumer panel. The survey was
conducted in both English and Spanish, as determined by the
respondent. KRC established demographic quotas and weighted data
based on U.S. Census data (age, gender, education, income,
race/ethnicity, region) as well as who respondents voted for in the
2016 Presidential election.
About Weber Shandwick
Weber Shandwick is a leading
global communications and engagement firm in 79 cities across 34
countries with a network extending to 127 cities in 81 countries.
The firm's diverse team of strategists, analysts, producers,
designers, developers and campaign activators has won the most
prestigious awards in the world for innovative, creative approaches
and impactful work, including being honored as PRWeek's Global
Agency of the Year in 2015 and 2016, an Ad Age A-List Agency in
2014 and 2015, and The Holmes Report's Global Agency of the Year in
2010, 2012, 2014 and 2015. Weber Shandwick and its Prime unit have
won a combined 31 Cannes Lions since 2009 and are credited as PR
agency on an additional 25 Lions. Weber Shandwick was also named a
Best Place to Work by Ad Age in 2014 and 2015 and PRWeek in 2013
and 2014. The firm deploys deep expertise across sectors and
specialty areas, including consumer marketing, corporate
reputation, healthcare, technology, public affairs, financial
services, corporate social responsibility, financial communications
and crisis management, using proprietary social, digital and
analytics methodologies. Weber Shandwick is part of the Interpublic
Group (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit
http://www.webershandwick.com.
About Powell Tate
Founded by two of Washington, D.C.'s most respected press
secretaries – Democrat Jody Powell
and Republican Sheila Tate – Powell
Tate has been one of Washington,
D.C.'s leading public affairs firms for more than two
decades, maintaining its bipartisan heritage while developing
cutting edge programs that communicate across the political aisle
and multiple platforms. Recently cited as one of Washington, D.C.'s "Best Places to Work" by
the Washington Post and Washington Business Journal, Powell Tate is
a division of Weber Shandwick. For more information, visit
www.powelltate.com.
About KRC Research
KRC Research is a global
full-service nonpartisan opinion research and strategy firm. A unit
of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG), KRC Research
offers the quality and custom service of a small firm with the
reach of a global organization. For over 30 years, KRC Research has
worked on behalf of corporations, governments, not-for-profits and
the communications firms that represent them. Staffed with
multidisciplinary research professionals, KRC combines
sophisticated research tools with real-world communications
experience. For more information, visit www.krcresearch.com
Contact:
|
Kim Dixon
|
Company:
|
Weber
Shandwick
|
Phone:
|
212.546.7876
|
Email:
|
kdixon@webershandwick.com
|
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SOURCE Weber Shandwick