Political anxiety in Virginia is high, although Republicans and Democrats have different views about the future.
Most people are simply happy that the election is over. That's one of the conclusions from a survey of political anxiety from the Institute for Policy and Opinion Research at Roanoke College. Harry Wilson is an analyst at the institute, and he says in the years he's been surveying political anxiety, he's seen a trend – Republicans always have more anxiety.
"I think there is that Libertarian wing of the Republican Party that's not really trustful of government in Washington even when they’re in power," Wilson says.
During the previous Trump administration, political anxiety ran high among Democrats. But that was overshadowed by the off-the-charts political anxiety among Republicans during the Biden administration. Even now, Republicans don't have much trust in government.
"We can see certainly in the incoming Trump administration right now that even they’re not very trustful of government," explains Wilson. "And they are essentially going to be the government."
More people consider Trump a fascist than a visionary, and three out of four people say the country is on the wrong track. Closer to home, though, a different view – 52% of people surveyed by Roanoke College say Virginia is heading in the right direction.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
