• by Philip Rosenstein , Staff Writer, April 7, 2016

Men are more likely to care about the Hillary Clinton email scandal than women, and Republican men over the age of 45 are the most engaged group on defunding Planned Parenthood.

Quantcast gathered data about search patterns around the most divisive issues in the 2016 election. Analyzing search behavior can help campaigns map out strategy. It learns which demographics are more likely to engage with distinct issues, thereby influencing the best messages to target specific elements of the electorate.

Quantcast’s data describes some curious results; it is not always obvious which demographic groups will be most interested in certain policies.

For example, Donald Trump’s wall on the Mexican border garnered much more interest from Democrats than Republicans. This can be attributed, in part, to the huge outcry from Democratic and Hispanic voters, as well as to the utter bewilderment shown by many who have a strong grasp of U.S.-Mexico relations.

Overall Republican interest in the wall fell below the indexed average for the entire population. That suggests a full-on acceptance of the policy (without much interest in researching different opinions) or an understanding that much of Trump's talk is designed to push the boundaries of acceptability, rather than trumpet deeply held beliefs.

Interest in the wall also trended older; both Republicans and Democrats over the age of 45 were more likely to search for issues regarding the wall than the average American. Hispanic Democrats were understandably highly engaged with Trump’s wall, more so than any other demographic group.

Issues that largely affect women, such as the movement to defund Planned Parenthood, saw Republican men engage with the topic most. Democratic women followed closely, but Republican women fell below the indexed average in engagement with the attack on the group.

The lack of interest in Planned Parenthood from Republican women may point to a tacit acceptance of the important role the health provider plays in the lives of many women, while showing an unwillingness to actively attack their own party’s position.

Similarly, Hillary Clinton’s email scandal has been followed more closely by men across both parties. Republican men are almost three times more likely than their female counterparts to engage with the email scandal.

On the whole, Independents are less interested in these controversial issues than Democrats or Republicans. This possibly indicates a focus on more concrete topics, including the economy and national security.

Both Republican and Democrats will have to keep in mind by which issues unaffiliated voters are turned off, as courting that group will be of the utmost importance come November.