Many people in the UK and Germany say Elon Musk’s efforts to influence their countries’ politics are unacceptable, according to a poll, and US tech giants are facing challenges in both countries. They think they don’t know much about the problem.
The YouGov investigation follows a series of hostile statements by Tesla’s billionaire owner, SpaceX and social media platform X attacking British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and their respective governments. It is something.
The poll of more than 2,200 people in each country found that a majority of 54% in both countries thought it was “not important” for the government to have a good relationship with Mr. Musk, and about 50% said that Mr. Musk was It turns out they think it’s best to ignore them.
The survey found that just 13% of respondents in both countries thought Musk’s interference in their country’s politics was acceptable, while 69% in the UK and 73% in Germany said they were against it. Most also believed that his interference in American politics was unacceptable.
People were equally scathing when asked how well the billionaire understood their country’s politics and the issues it faces. Only about a fifth of respondents in each country said they knew “a lot” or “a fair amount,” while 63% said they knew “not much” or “nothing.” A similar proportion thought he was ignorant about politics and European issues in general.
In Germany, Mr. Musk was incensed over comments made by Mr. He published an editorial that read, “This is true.” ” and calls the party extreme.
He also called the Social Democratic Party’s Scholz an “incompetent idiot” and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier an “anti-democratic tyrant.” Last week, he praised AfD leader Alice Weidel on an X livestream.
Mr Musk has described Britain as a “tyrannical police state”, called Mr Starmer a “two-tier system” over allegations of judicial discrimination against far-right mobs and said new agricultural inheritance tax rules mean Britain is “totally Stalinised”. It was said that there is.
He accused Mr Starmer of being “absolutely despicable” and “deeply complicit in mass rape in exchange for votes”, King Charles to dissolve Parliament and Labor PM to be jailed for his alleged involvement in gang grooming scandal I argued that it should.
According to the investigation, the Although a close ally of Trump, he was deeply unpopular in the United States. Great Britain and Germany.
The only exceptions are voters in the AfD, which Musk has described as Germany’s “only spark of hope,” and Nigel Farage’s anti-immigration party Reform UK, to which Musk is reportedly considering donating $100 million. It was.
Musk enjoys unique popularity among these voters, with 70% of AfD voters having a favorable view of him, compared to less than 20% of supporters of Germany’s other major parties. It was.
sign up for europe headlines
Get a digest of Europe’s main morning headlines sent straight to your email every week
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may include information about charities, online advertising, and content sponsored by external parties. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and are subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
After newsletter promotion
British Reform voters were less enthusiastic, perhaps because Musk said earlier this month that Farage “doesn’t have what it takes” and should be replaced as leader. The incident was apparently caused by a disagreement over jailed far-right provocateur Tommy Robinson.
But Mr Musk’s 47% favorability rating among Reform supporters is higher than the 26% he received among Conservative voters and the mere 4-5% he received among Labor and Liberal Democrat voters. was also significantly higher.
Reform and AfD voters were also far more likely to say that Mr. Musk’s political intervention is acceptable and should be nurtured, but they were also far more likely to say that Mr. Musk has influence in the UK and Germany. was polled by only 18% of reform voters and 19% of AfD voters.
Overall, more than 70% of respondents in both countries said they had a negative opinion of the belligerent billionaire. But few thought his intervention would make a difference, and only one-fifth thought he had much influence in national politics.
When asked how they thought Musk was managing X (formerly Twitter), which he acquired for $44 billion in 2022, 16% of Britons said he was managing it well. , only 19% of Germans. Only 14% to 15% said they currently have a positive view of the platform.
