Napolitan Institute research has identified an Elite 1% whose views are wildly out of touch with the rest of America. This small but influential group have a postgraduate degree, live in a densely populated urban area, and make at least $150,000 a year.
Napolitan has more recently explored the views of Main Street Americans. They have none of the three elite attributes. In other words, they do not have a postgraduate degree, they do not live in a densely populated urban area, and they earn less than $150,000 a year. Nearly three-out-of-four voters are Mainstreet Americans. Among this group, Donald Trump currently leads Kamala Harris by a 52% to 46% margin.
Overall, the race is tied at 49%.
It is impossible to compare these numbers directly to the Elite 1% because even in a survey of 2,404 voters, the sample size for the Elite 1% is too small to measure.
However, we can and do measure a group of people who have at least one of the three elite attributes. Their views tend to be distinct from Mainstreet Americans but not as extreme as the Elite 1%. This group of mid-level elites prefers Harris by a 59% to 40% margin.
These results suggest that the Elite 1% would heavily favor Harris (an outcome consistent with earlier research showing strong elite support for President Biden).
