Consistent with the findings of other studies of Tea Party supporters, the evidence from the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll shows that strong Tea Party supporters were disproportionately white (90%), male (57%), older (57% over the age of 50) and more affluent (40% had family incomes over $75,000) than other Americans. Seventy-five percent of strong Tea Party supporters compared with 32% of the overall public identified with or leaned toward the Republican Party. Almost half of all Republican identifiers and leaners were strong Tea Party supporters.
There were striking differences between the political views of strong Tea Party supporters and those of other Americans. Seventy-five percent of strong Tea Party supporters described themselves as very or somewhat conservative vs. 35% of the entire public, 80% opposed stricter gun control laws vs. 46% of the entire public, 77% favored ending “birthright citizenship” for children of immigrants vs. 47% of the entire public, and 73% felt that most government regulations to protect consumers and the environment were unnecessary vs. 32% of the entire public. On every issue included in the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, strong Tea Party supporters were far more conservative than the overall public. Moreover, they were remarkably consistent in their conservative views. Forty-seven percent of strong Tea Party supporters took consistently conservative positions on the issues of gun control, birthright citizenship, government regulation, and health care repeal compared with only 15% of the entire public. Seventy-five percent of strong Tea Party supporters took the conservative side on at least three of these four issues compared with only 32% of the entire public.