George Soros: Cartoon Villain?

Most American voters have a negative opinion of liberal billionaire George Soros, and nearly half agree with Elon Musk’s words comparing Soros to a comic-book villain.

A new national telephone and online survey by Rasmussen Reports and Ron Coleman’s ColemanNation podcast finds that only 24% of Likely U.S. voters have a favorable impression of Soros, including just 10% with a Very Favorable opinion. Fifty-one percent (51%) view Soros unfavorably, including 39% with a Very Unfavorable impression of the Hungarian-born financier. Another 25% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Musk sparked controversy on Twitter by comparing Soros to the Marvel comics mutant villain Magneto, saying that Soros “wants to erode the very fabric of civilization. Soros hates humanity.”

Forty-seven percent (47%) of voters agree with that quote, including 35% who Strongly Agree that Soros “hates humanity.” Thirty percent (30%) disagree, including 21% who Strongly Disagree. Another 23% are not sure if Soros “wants to erode the very fabric of civilization.”    

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The survey of 1,002 U.S. Likely Voters was conducted on May 16-18, 2023 by Rasmussen Reports and Ron Coleman’s ColemanNation podcast. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Soros has donated vast amounts to political causes, reportedly contributing more than $100 million to support the Democratic Party in the 2022 election cycle.  Twenty-nine percent (29%) of voters believe donations from George Soros have had a positive influence on American politics, including 13% who say his contributions have been a Very Positive influence. However, nearly half (49%) think donations from Soros have had a negative influence, including 39% who say his contributions are a Very Negative influence on U.S. politics. Another 22% are not sure.

Forty-four percent (44%) of Democratic voters believe Soros’ donations have had at least a somewhat positive influence on American politics, but that belief is shared by just 21% of Republicans and 19% of voters unaffiliated with either major party. Sixty-two percent (62%) of Republicans, 31% of Democrats and 55% of unaffiliated voters think political contributions from Soros have had a negative influence.

Thirty-six percent (36%) of Democrats, 20% of Republicans and 14% of unaffiliated voters view Soros at least somewhat favorably. Fifty-five percent (55%) of Republicans, 23% of Democrats and 41% of unaffiliated voters have a Very Unfavorable impression of Soros.

A majority (54%) of Republicans say they Strongly Agree with the statement that Soros “wants to erode the very fabric of civilization. Soros hates humanity,” as do 23% of Democrats and 30% of unaffiliated voters.

Men are more likely to have an opinion – either positive or negative – about George Soros than women voters, more of whom answer “not sure” to all questions about the billionaire financier.

Forty-eight percent (48%) of whites, 43% of black voters and 50% of other minorities at least somewhat agree with the statement that Soros “wants to erode the very fabric of civilization. Soros hates humanity.”

Breaking down the electorate by income categories, voters earning more than $100,000 a year are more likely to think donations from Soros have had a positive influence on American politics. Those with annual incomes between $30,000 and $50,000 have the most unfavorable opinion of Soros.

President Joe Biden’s strongest supporters have the most positive view of Soros. Among voters who Strongly Approve of Biden’s job performance as president, 56% view Soros at least somewhat favorably. By contrast, among those who Strongly Disapprove of Biden’s performance, just five percent (5%) have a favorable impression of Soros – and 57% Strongly Agree that Soros “wants to erode the very fabric of civilization. Soros hates humanity.”

Less than a third of voters expect Congress to impeach President Joe Biden, even though a majority suspect Biden has committed impeachable offenses as president. 

Months ahead of the first 2024 primaries, former President Donald Trump leads his would-be challengers for the Republican presidential nomination by a substantial margin.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to are available to the public as well as to Platinum Members.

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