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Donald Trump is the biggest PR winner—and loser—of 2017 according to a survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adults commissioned from Propeller Insights by Bospar.
Of those surveyed, 28 percent chose Trump and his news dominance as the year’s biggest PR success. However, 37 percent picked Trump’s presidency as the top PR disaster of 2017.
Following the President in the success column were the Star Wars franchise and Disney’s #DreamBigPrincess campaign to inspire girls to study math and science. Right behind him in the ranks of PR disasters were Harvey Weinstein’s sexual assault scandal, Wells Fargo’s fake account scandal, Kevin Spacey’s sexual assault scandal and the Equifax hack.
Ninety-two percent of Democrats surveyed said they thought Trump should be impeached, but 90 percent of Republicans surveyed said they were open to the idea of a second term for the President.
A majority of respondents (59 percent)—including 81 percent of Democrats—called media coverage of Trump “fair.” Not surprisingly, 67 percent of Republicans say the reporting on the President has been “unfair.” But there seems to be some bipartisan agreement on at least one thing: More than half (56 percent) of Americans feel the reporting has been largely left-leaning, with an almost equal number of Republicans (55 percent) and Democrats (61 percent) making that claim.
As regards the “fake news” label, almost two-thirds (62 percent) of Republicans say that they agree with Trump when he calls a story fake, while 70 percent of Democrats say they’d be inclined to think the story is true. But 23 percent of respondents said a “fake news” declaration from the President does not influence their thinking.
When it comes to changing the hearts and minds of Americans, a good article in a trusted news outlet is seen at the most effective method by 33 percent of respondents. However, 31 percent of respondents say nothing could change their minds.
“For us, the most interesting statistic was that 70 percent of Americans would consider changing their convictions; the key is where to reach them,” said Curtis Sparrer, principal of Bospar PR. “The best way to reach people is through a news outlet that they trust.”
Even though a majority of consumers are turning to social media as their preferred source of breaking news, issues surrounding trust and the quality of social media content remain a concern for many of them.
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