Poll: Most Republicans Wrongly Believe Trump Won Popular Vote

“We Choose Facts To Be Consistent With Our Prior Beliefs”

A majority of Republicans — 52 percent — erroneously believe Republican Donald Trump won the popular vote, according to a poll conducted earlier this month. 

As we mentioned Saturday, Hillary Clinton actually won the popular vote by more than 2.86 million votes, or 2.1 percent, the second-largest margin of any candidate to who went on to lose the presidency. 

The Washington Post reports that according to a Qualtrics poll conducted Dec. 6 and 12, 29 percent of Americans overall believe Trump won the popular vote, including 7 percent of Democrats and 24 percent of Independents. 

The number of Republicans who believe Trump won the popular vote is even larger, 60 percent, among those without any college education. 

“These results align with something social scientists have long recognized: We choose facts to be consistent with our prior beliefs,” the Post reports. “In this case, Republicans are more likely to endorse erroneous claims about Trump’s victory because it aligns with their partisanship.” 

In addition, ThinkProgress notes that Trump has sought to cast doubt on the popular vote results, by claiming that millions of people voted illegally, despite no evidence to support his claim. Some Republicans who responded to the poll may have based their responses on “fake news” reports backing Trump’s false allegation.