In a recent poll conducted by Florida Atlantic University, the residents of Florida expressed distinct preferences for the personality traits they value most in a presidential candidate. The results, released last month, highlight a significant departure from past sentiments, particularly in the declining importance placed on empathy.
**Low Emphasis on Empathy:**
Empathy ranked dead last among the surveyed personality traits, garnering a mere 4% approval from Florida voters. The margin of error, ranging at plus or minus three percentage points, suggests the actual preference for empathy could be close to zero.
Breaking down the numbers among party lines, Republicans unequivocally dismissed empathy, with 0% choosing it as the preferred trait. In contrast, Democrats and independent voters showed minimal interest, with 8% and 4%, respectively.
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**Changing Priorities:**
The findings signal a departure from the sentiments of the 1992 presidential election, notably when Bill Clinton became known for his empathetic phrase, “I feel your pain.” In 2023, voters’ preferences align differently across party lines and genders.
**Democrats’ Priority:**
For Democrats, “integrity” emerges as the top priority, with a resounding 51%, followed by “leadership” (20%), “intelligence” (13%), “stability” (9%), and “empathy” (8%).
**Republicans’ Emphasis:**
Republicans prioritize “leadership” above all, with a commanding 56%, followed by “integrity” (34%), “intelligence” (7%), “stability” (3%), and notably, no preference for “empathy.”
**Independent Perspectives:**
Independents are divided, with 40% valuing “integrity” and 41% opting for “leadership.” Other traits include “intelligence” (13%), “empathy” (4%), and “stability” (3%).
**Gender Disparities:**
Women lean towards “integrity” (45%) and “leadership” (33%), followed by “intelligence” (12%), “stability” (7%), and “empathy” (3%). Men, on the other hand, prioritize “leadership” (45%), followed by “integrity” (38%), “intelligence” (10%), and equally low percentages for “empathy” and “stability” (4% each).
**Overall Voter Sentiment:**
Collectively, 42% of all voters consider “integrity” the most crucial trait, while 39% opt for “leadership.” The remaining preferences include “intelligence” (11%), “stability” (5%), and “empathy” (4%).
Political scientist Kevin Wagner from FAU interprets the low emphasis on empathy as reflective of the prevailing state of political discourse, emphasizing a focus on opposition rather than understanding.
The poll, conducted from Oct. 27 to Nov. 11, involved 946 registered Florida voters and was conducted by Mainstreet Research for Florida Atlantic University’s PolCom Lab. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points, with higher margins for smaller groups due to smaller sample sizes.
