Let's Have A Look At The 'Trump Effect'
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – What's in a name, William Shakespeare once wrote, that which we call a rose; by any other name would smell as sweet. Shakespeare's point was that a name doesn't change the essence of a thing.
In the case of Shakespeare's play, "Romeo and Juliet," Juliet was saying that Romeo was the same person whether his name was Montague or not.
Then again, Shakespeare never met Donald Trump. (Although he would seem to be a mix between Othello and King Lear.)
A new poll by Quinnipiac University found that by simply attaching Trump's name to an idea can change a person's opinion about that idea.
Call it the "Trump Effect."
When voters, for example, were asked if they agree with the statement, "The American dream is dead," 45 percent of voters supporting Trump agreed while 54 percent disagreed.
But when Trump's name was attached to the statement, the poll found 68 percent of Trump voters now agreed with the statement while 30 percent disagreed.
Folks who oppose Trump are also affected by this phenomenon
Thirty-one percent of non-Trump voters agreed with the generic statement, "The American dream is dead," while 68 percent disagreed.
Once Trump's name was added the numbers suddenly shifted with only 18 percent of the non-Trump voters agreeing while 81 percent disagreed.
The same shifts occur when the Trump name is added to statements such as: "With the terrorists, you have to take out their families," and "Islam hates us."
Regarding the ban on all Muslims entering the country, 76 percent of Trump voters agree while 22 percent disagree.
Add Trump's name and the numbers jump. Eighty-eight percent of his supporters agreed when they learned it was from Trump while those who disagreed dropped to 10 percent.
Based on this, Donald Trump is not so much a candidate at this point in the campaign but a brand – a brand that some people love and are extremely loyal to while others hate it.
Essentially what Ed Hardy is to fashion and sequined encrusted T-shirts, Donald Trump is to politics.
For more on Campaign 2016, click here.
