Study: 2016 Outcome Fueled by 'Secret' Trump Voters

“Secret” supporters of Donald Trump – those who never acknowledged to family and friends that they voted for him for president in 2016 – doubled those who secretly backed Hillary Clinton, a new study reveals.

These “secret” Trump supporters kept silent about their votes for Trump out of fear of being condemned by family, friends and co-workers, according Yahoo News.

The study was co-authored by Michael Slepian and Rachel McDonald of Columbia University, Jessica Salerno of Arizona State University and Katharine Greenaway of the University of Melbourne.

Many of Trump’s “secret” supporters feared “getting in arguments with people and creating conflicts with those around them, Slepian told Yahoo News.

The study’s researchers found 1,000 people “who secretly voted for someone other than whom they publicly claimed to have voted for.” Fifty-three percent voted for Trump, compared to 27% who voted for Clinton. Nineteen percent said they voted for another candidate.

"Trump voters were more concerned about their reputation than Clinton supporters,” Slepian said.

Yahoo News reported the study found “the more conservative” of the "secret" Trump voters “the less they regretted keeping their vote secret.” However, on the Clinton side, some of the liberals regretted not voicing their support for her.

And Yahoo News also reported the “secret” support for Trump, may explain why so many polls misjudged the 2016 election.