Recent Sentiment Analysis Report Reveals Elon Musk is More Disliked in the US than liked, with Nearly Two Fifths (38.2%) of Americans Feeling Negatively Towards Him
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Key Findings
Considering the entrepreneur is technically still in negotiations to buy Twitter, a majority of its American user base aren’t his biggest fans.
- Nearly 40% posts (38.2%) about Elon Musk’ over the last 12 months have been negative, while under half that number (19.2%) have been positive
- Hawaiians like Elon Musk the most out of any state, with the highest proportion of positive tweets toward the tech entrepreneur (272 per 1,000 posts).
- Residents of Delaware are the most likely to feel negatively toward Musk, with 465 tweets per 1,000 expressing their dislike for the man, closely followed by Maine (448)
- Residents fromMassachusetts have the most interest in Elon Musk, with a monthly search volume of 1,069 per 100,000
- Georgia has little interest toward Musk, with only 60 per 100,000 citizens searching for him on Google every month
Mr Musk is nearly as famous for starting Twitter beefs as he is for his billionaire status. It’s no surprise he’s ruffled some feathers on the Twitter stage over the last few years particular in recent times.
From trolling Bill Gates, Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin and now Trump, to making unpopular Covid 19 claims, Musk is never far from controversy with his bold outspoken tweets.
The announcement to buy Twitter divided the nation with some seeing him as the messiah of saving free speech, while others threatened to boycott Twitter if he bought it. When it comes to Musk, the country is divided.
Hawaii High Fives Elon Musk
Residents of Hawaii like Elon Musk the most out of any state, with the highest proportion of positive tweets towards the tech entrepreneur (272 per 1,000 posts). This could be down to his latest deal with Hawaiian Airlines and SpaceX, as it will provide free high-speed internet access to all passengers on trans-Pacific flights. Other states that show positive sentiment towards Musk include Alaska (252 positive tweets per 1,000 posts), followed by Idaho (238 positive tweets per 1,000).
Delaware Distaste
Residents of Delaware are the most likely to feel negatively toward Musk, with 465 tweets per 1,000 expressing their dislike for the man, closely followed by Maine (448). Coincidentally, his current legal battle with Twitter is being handled by the chief judge of Delaware Chancery Court. Other states not so keen on Mr Musk include Oregon (443 negative tweets per 1,000) and Iowa (439 negative tweets per 1,000).
Brian Dean, Co-founder & CEO, Exploding Topics
“Elon Musk is divisive, this is a given, but we wanted to find out where the divides lie, and what all the online chat about the billionaire looks like. In 40 states, our study revealed that the most talked about topic was ‘free speech’, with people both typing in anger and joy at Musk buying Twitter. With over 2.6 million people Googling him every month in a bid to learn more about his life and intentions, the American public has statistically never been more interested in him than they are in 2022 since the Twitter takeover saga began.”
Search Interest
Overall interest in Elon Musk saw a huge peak around April 2020 which indicates his rise in popularity is aligned with the pandemic era. Massachusetts came out as the state most interested in Musk, with 1,069 Google searches made per 100,000 people in the state, the highest in the country. Georgia on the other hand, showed the least interest with only 60 searches made per 100,000 residents.
Liberal or Populist?
With America more polarised than ever, Musk’s biggest trigger could be around not vocally choosing a ‘side’. He once described himself politically as "half Democrat, half Republican" claiming to be socially liberal and fiscally conservative’. However, his latest opinions do seem to be more right leaning which may explain why he’s opening a fresh new feud with previous Republican President Trump. Perhaps being the topic of conversation on both sides is his main strategy.
About Exploding Topics
Cofounded by Brian Dean and Josh Howarth, Exploding Topics helps entrepreneurs and investors find trends before they take off. The tool is used by analysts at the likes of Apple, Amazon, and Netflix as well as many small businesses. Using proprietary algorithms, Exploding Topics analyses millions of searches, conversations and mentions across the internet every day to spot the latest trends.
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