Social Structure, Culture, and the Allure of Donald Trump in 2016

Abstract Using October, 2016 data from a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults (N  = 1,461), this study considers the extent to which social structure and culture worked together to activate affinities for Donald Trump. For our analyses, we used multiple regressions and first focused on the extent to which social structural locations (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, age, education, rurality) were associated with a willingness to trust Trump and report intentions to vote for him. Then, we considered partisanship affiliations. Finally, we looked at the extent to which hegemonically masculine, racial/ethnic and nativist, and authorities on truth values helped to further establish affinities for Trump. Findings indeed revealed that cultural value contestations were central to establishing affinities for Trump. Such beliefs even remained linked to intentions to vote for Trump after accounting for adults’ trust in him.