New Goizueta Research: Fandom and the Republican Party and Why It Matters

When we think about “fans” we typically think about sports or entertainment … but new research from the Goizueta Business School shows that political figures are showing increased levels of fandom. Fans of political figures often support candidates, providing a very knowledgeable base for them.

Political fans work to use their knowledge to influence others, raise money, attract volunteers and win elections.

Professor Mike Lewis from Emory University’s Marketing Analytics Center looked at political fandom among Republicans and the current slate of presidential candidates.

The survey of likely Republican voters found former President Donald Trump has a hold on Republican fandom that actually impacts the other candidates in a surprising way.

Candidates who are openly anti-Trump see their fandom negatively impacted.

The study found former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has a 90% rate of anti-fandom followed by South Carolina’s Tim Scott at 56%. Both have had negative opinions of Trump.

The survey can be found here:

The survey is a must read for anyone interested in politics, it showed:

Political Fandom by Generation: Millennial Republican voters had the strongest Trump fandom (63%) followed by Generation X (58%). Ramaswamy had the second highest fandom among Millenials while DeSantis was second among Gen X.

Having a Beer with Trump: The survey of almost 1,000 Republican voters was asked which candidate would participants most likely meet to have a coffee or beer. Former President Trump was the overwhelming choice among respondents in all age groups. Vivek Ramaswamy was the second choice among most age groups. Christie was the last choice in most age groups.

Voters and President Biden: A final question asked likely Republican voters how they feel about President Biden.

• The Biden Positive segment was 23.6% of those asked versus 76.4% in the Biden Negative segment.
• The largest Biden negative group was among Trump fans which because of the number of supporters was also the largest Biden positive group.
• The smallest Biden negative group was fans of former Governor Chris Christie.

Campaigns and elections are won or lost on polling, market research and the data collected by surveys just like this.  And if you are interested in knowing more about this survey and how fandom is becoming an essential piece of political campaigning - then let us help.

Mike Lewis is an expert in the areas of analytics and marketing. This approach makes Professor Lewis a unique expert on fandom as his work addresses the complete process from success on the field to success at the box office and the campaign trail.

Michael is available to speak with media - simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.