With the US election just days away, Aer Lingus carried out some research to gain insight into the Irish public opinion on the upcoming vote. Their poll found that not only is Hillary Clinton the clear choice for the Irish as the next President of the United States but that many are concerned that the election results might negatively impact Ireland (see infographic below).
The study into Ireland’s relationship with North America shows that the majority of Irish adults would vote Clinton (73 percent) over Trump (6 percent) if given the choice, while 20 percent would rather spoil their vote or not vote at all on Nov 8.
Aer Lingus polled 1,000 Irish adults to ascertain how Ireland might vote. Of those who expressed preference for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, more than two-thirds (67 percent) did so in the belief that she is the lesser of two evils. Of those respondents endorsing Republican Donald Trump, 20 percent would do so because they perceive him to be a straight-talker.
Almost 8 in 10 (78 percent) of Irish adults think Hilary Clinton will win the upcoming US Presidential election. While an undecided 16 percent are not yet sure who will emerge victorious and just 6 percent believe Donald Trump is the next person to take the seat in The Oval Office.
The US Election’s impact on Ireland
Almost a third (31 percent) of Irish adults believe that the outcome of the 58th US presidential election may have a negative impact on Ireland and Irish people.
Exactly half (50 percent) think the results will have no impact on Ireland. While just a modest 7 percent believe that Clinton would potentially have a better impact on Irish people living in America, whereas 0 percent of respondents believe this to be true of Trump.
The bond Ireland and the United States share
According to 2 in 3 Irish adults (64 percent), Ireland has a long-standing familial bond with North America. The same percentage have friends and family currently residing in the US, with almost half of these (43 percent) living in New York and almost a quarter (22 percent) in California.
However, despite missing their migrant kin, shopping in the Big Apple is the most appetizing reason to visit the US for 43 percent of survey respondents. More than a quarter (26 percent) would choose to visit the Floridian theme parks and 14 percent would soak up some rays on the Californian coast.
On their US travels, over 1 in 5 (22 percent) Irish adults who encounter an American claiming to have Irish ancestry will roll their eyes to heaven at the tale. However, a sizeable (43 percent) will delve deeper to find out the town or country from which they hail and try to find a common bond.
US Presidential visit to Ireland?
Not only is Clinton Ireland’s hypothetical election winner, additionally, a quarter (23 percent) of Irish adults say they would turn out, in a positive manner, to see her should she visit Ireland after taking office.
In contrast, just 4 percent would turn out in similar fashion for Trump and 12 percent would more likely turn out to protest against him.
The incumbent Barack Obama is still beloved by the Irish public however, with 9 percent of Irish adults saying they turned out to see him on his state visit to Ireland in 2011. Obama is also the Irish American that respondents would most like to be seated next to on a flight (33 percent), followed by George Clooney (16 percent), whose ancestry is traced back to County Kilkenny, and Ellen DeGeneres (14 percent), who has roots in County Galway.
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