Although the presidential election ended 71 days ago, more than 1 in 3 Americans continue to experience inner turmoil over the outcome.
According to a new Washington Post-ABC News Poll, 35 percent of those polled say Trump’s election has increased their normal stress level. Only 12 percent say it has reduced their stress. The majority, 52 percent, say it’s made no difference.
The groups most likely to say their stress has increased after the election include Democrats, Hillary Clinton supporters, Hispanics and people without a religious affiliation. Of those who voted for Clinton, 39 percent say their stress has increased a “great deal” and 25 percent say it has increased “somewhat.”
More than half of Hispanic respondents ― 54 percent ― say that Trump’s election has boosted their stress levels. Thirty-eight percent of African-American voters agree, versus only 29 percent of white voters.
Women are also more likely to report anxiety over Trump’s election, with 41 percent saying it has increased their stress levels, 20 percent by a great deal. Men tend to be more indifferent, with 58 percent saying the election has made no difference in how stressed they are.
Trump supporters and Republicans are significantly less stressed about his future presidency. Sixty-five percent of Trump voters and the same percentage of Republicans say the election result has made no difference in their stress levels, while 31 percent of Trump voters and 25 percent of Republicans say it has actually decreased their worries.
A few other groups also say the election didn’t affect their stress levels. Sixty-three percent of people who didn’t vote or who voted for a third-party candidate say the election has made no difference in how stressed they are.
The Washington Post-ABC News Poll was conducted by telephone Jan. 12-15, 2017, among a random national sample of 1,005 adults, including landline and cellphone respondents. Overall results have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.