A survey of federal government employees revealed that as many as 27 percent of federal government workers might leave their jobs if Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is elected in November.
Government Executive, a business news daily tailored to federal government professionals, surveyed 1,085 federal government employees and released its findings Oct. 28. The findings showed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton with 53 percent support, and Trump with 34 percent support.
While it is not surprising that Clinton is receiving substantially more support than Trump among federal government workers — who tend to lean Democrat — the data still reveals low levels of enthusiasm for Clinton.
Trump is careful not to insult rank-and-file career government servants, focusing his ire on the decision-makers. “My specifics are very simple,” Trump said on ABC’s “This Week” in the summer of 2015. “I’m going to get great people that know what they’re doing, not a bunch of political hacks that have no idea what they’re doing, appointed by President Obama, that doesn’t have a clue.”
Thirty-four percent of the respondents considered themselves Democrats at the time of the survey, while 25 percent considered themselves Republican. Thirty-two percent of those surveyed considered themselves Independent, and 4 percent identified as “other.”
Of the federal government employees who said they were supporting Clinton, 42 percent said that they were doing so because she represents the most viable alternative to Trump, indicating that a significant amount of the support for her was a vote against Trump, and not a vote for Clinton.
Among federal government employees who support Trump, 62 percent are supporting him because they see him as the most viable alternative to Clinton, versus 38 percent who fully support him as a candidate.
The survey also asked respondents about their opinions of the third party candidates, including Green Party nominee Jill Stein and Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson.
Stein’s favorability was just 7 percent, with 36 viewing her as unfavorable and 58 percent responding that they haven’t heard enough. Johnson received a favorable opinion from 12 percent of respondents, with 48 percent reporting an unfavorable view and 40 percent responding that they haven’t heard enough.
Fifty percent of the respondents viewed Clinton as favorable, with 50 viewing her as unfavorable. Not surprisingly, Trump’s favorability was lower, with only 31 percent registering a favorable opinion, and 68 reporting an unfavorable view.
Respondents listed Clinton’s “extensive public service experience” as the most appealing aspect of her candidacy (65 percent), with just 1 percent saying that Clinton’s personality is her most appealing quality. Policy positions (47 percent) and his “extensive business experience” (37 percent) were what respondents considered Trump’s most appealing qualities.
The survey included responses from 581 GS/GM-13 and above employees and 31 members of the Senior Executive Service (high-ranking government officials). Respondents included employees from at least 35 federal and defense agencies.
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