President Donald Trump walked to speak to the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018. Image: AP/Carolyn Kaster
The average number of Americans who want to leave the United States was found to be higher during the first two years of the Trump administration in comparison to the averages during the time of both former U.S. Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
Overall, 16 percent of Americans in 2017 and 2018 desired to move permanently to another country, according to the latest poll conducted and published by Gallup World Poll on Friday, Jan. 4. This is 6 percent higher than the average level during the Obama administration (10 percent) and 5 percent higher compared to Bush’s 11 percent.
The poll also showed that the number of women who want to leave the U.S. doubled during the time of Trump. From Bush’s 11 percent and Obama’s 10 percent, the average level during Trump’s rule increased to 20 percent.
The number of American men who want to leave their country also increased by 3 percent from Bush’s and Obama’s 10 percent.
The poll also looked at different age groups and found that 30 percent of Americans younger than 30 expressed their desire to move to another country. The finding was 6 percent higher than the average during the time of Bush and 12 percent higher during Obama’s administration.
The average for Americans older than 30 increased as well — 19 percent of Americans ages 30 to 49 want to move permanently to another country. It is at 8 percent for Americans above 50.
Trump’s first two years also saw a two-fold increase in the average of poorest 20 percent of Americans who desire to move to another country compared with the average during Obama’s time — from 13 percent to 30 percent. Meanwhile, 12 percent of the richest 20 percent of America want to move to another country; this is 4 percent higher than the average during the Obama administration.
In addition to the percentage of people who want to permanently move to another country, the poll also looked into the top-desired destination of Americans. The poll revealed that 26 percent of Americans who wanted to move in 2018 chose Canada as their destination. JB
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