Millennials and Gen Xers, families with children, higher income and culturally and linguistically diverse households are less inclined than most Australians to fear or mourn Donald Trump’s victory.

A survey of Australian attitudes to the US election also suggests that while women, Greens and Labor voters are deeply unhappy with Mr Trump’s re-election, a significant number of other groups take a more optimistic view.

The surprise findings, based on a survey of 1,000 people last weekend by JWS Research, comes as all political parties struggle to learn from Mr Trump’s return to power, with a federal election due no later than mid-May.

While the poll is clear Trump would struggle to win a majority in Australia – it found “extremely negative reactions” to the president-elect outnumbering “extremely positive reactions” by three to one – his campaign appears to be focusing on the cost life. to have resonated with key groups of potentially critical voters in swing electorates.

In particular, 35- to 54-year-olds, a group most likely to experience mortgage and housing stress, had “positive” reaction rates that were above the national average. Likewise households with children.

Australians charmed by the prospect of economic benefits

While most Australians have major concerns about Mr Trump’s criminality and competence, as well as fears about misogyny and unpredictability, those with positive sentiments mainly cited the prospects for economic benefits under the incoming president.

Hopes for Mr Trump’s future performance are based on his history as a “business man” and the belief that he will not enact harsh protectionist tariffs against a close ally like Australia.

“People seem to remember benefiting from the performance of the US stock market during his first term, and I think the same will play out in his second,” said JWS founder John Scales.

“People think he’s going to do more because of his aggressive and confident statements on policy, but he doesn’t think about what the real impact of these policies is on Australian industries.”

Debate has erupted over the factors that led to the Republican victory since Mr Trump’s election victory nearly two weeks ago, in which the former president carried swings in all but one state and Washington DC.

One possible explanation is that, despite the strong US economy and healthy labor market, American voters were more influenced by the feeling that their living standards were worse than four years ago.

The chief economist at the US Labor Department, Betsey Stevenson, admitted in the days following the Democratic loss that she was wrong to assume that people would prioritize policies that support low unemployment at the cost of higher.

“I failed to understand how much anger the high prices would bring,” she said.

Cost of living is the focus, says Chalmers

A recent poll released this month by the Susan McKinnon Foundation, based on JWS research, found that Australians want the Reserve Bank of Australia to prioritize controlling inflation before protecting jobs.

The survey found that 46% of Australians prioritize keeping inflation low, while just 12% believe keeping unemployment low should be the priority.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers, in a series of unscripted remarks, told a union conference in Perth on Thursday night that the government “doesn’t need an election on the other side of the world to tell us to focus on the main game, which is the cost. to live”.

“We didn’t need an election on the other side of the world to tell us that we don’t have time as a governing party to deal with second-rate issues,” he said.

“We have to stay focused on what really matters and we are. That is why the cost of living is our major focus as a government.

“When you think about it, making sure that there are more people working, more people earning more, more people keeping more of what they earn, that’s really a pretty good encapsulation of why our being as a movement.”

Mr. Trump’s campaign ran a similar message, though different in style, promising a suite of cuts to income taxes, overtime, Social Security and tipping.

The JWS poll suggests Australians were glued to the US election, which pundits saw as a battle between Democrats who campaigned on Mr Trump’s personal flaws and scandals, versus the Republican campaign which focused on why people felt that the country was “going in the wrong direction”. direction”.

About 61 percent of people surveyed said they paid attention to the presidential race, compared to 39 percent who did not, with a quarter saying they were following it “very closely.”

Australians air their views on Trump

When asked how they felt about his victory, 51% reported negative feelings, including 30% who felt “extremely negative”.

“It has radicalized the nation and the world,” said one survey respondent, according to JWS.

Another called him “unpredictable” and said “his decisions will affect Australians, both positively and negatively”.

“It’s a loose cannon,” said a third.

In contrast, only 28% felt positive, with 10% reporting an “extremely positive” reaction.

Optimistic views were significantly higher at 39% compared to 28% overall among people who were tuned in to the contest.

“He is willing to act on issues despite opposition,” one person said.

“He gets things done, he’s a straight shooter, not a ‘woke’.”

Scales said it will soon become clear whether Trump will be able to keep his promises, noting former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo’s political maxim that candidates “campaign in poetry, govern in prose.”

“As Trump found out in his first presidency in 2016, new leaders and governments could always face a number of practical obstacles once in power.”