Republican or Democrat: Which Way Does Your Industry Lean?
Published: Jun 03, 2015
Does your occupation determine your political leaning, or your political leaning dictate which occupations you'd consider? Either way, a recent study from Verdant Labs provides some fascinating insights into the political divisions across the workforce.
For example, here are a handful of insights gleaned from the data:
Most Republican-leaning Industries:
- Fossil Fuels (89% Republican)
- Farming & Forestry (72% Republican)
One interesting point to note about Farming & Forestry, as you can see from the graphic below, is that retired farmers skew Democratic (55-45), while those currently employed in any capacity in the industry skew Republican.
Most Democrat-leaning Industries:
- Social & Environment
- Film & Stage Production
Both of these industries leaned 93% Democrat. Here's what the breakdown by job function looks like in the former category:
Industries that are balanced:
Not all industries are filled with people on one side of the partisan divide or the other—some house them both! The following are the most politically-balanced industries on the list:
- Investment Banking (53% Republican, 47% Democrat)
- Real Estate (53% Republican, 47% Democrat)
- Animal Care (52% Republican, 48% Democrat)
- Law Enforcement (51% Republican, 49% Democrat)
- Hospitality (51% Republican, 49% Democrat)
- Skilled Trades (48% Republican, 52% Democrat)
- Physicians (47% Republican, 53% Democrat)
- Restaurant & Bar (47% Republican, 53% Democrat)
So what do we make of all this, and does it tell us anything about issues such as cultural fit, discrimination and the like? Check out the full, fascinating interactive over at Verdant Labs' site, but be sure to come back and have your say in the comments below!
Related:
Does Hiring Based on 'Cultural Fit' Encourage Discrimination?