Politics

One of the remarkable aspects of the Trump administration has been the loyalty of his “base”, which has remained pretty much unshakeable over four years of an often tumultuous presidency. Within the jewelry industry, the story is no different, with more than half of our readers saying they will vote again for the maverick politician — a level that is unchanged from 2016. In this section, we look at jewelers’ political preferences and the issues that will guide their votes come Nov. 3.

Published

23 years ago

October 24, 2000

INSTORE Staff Instore November 2020 Issue

37. Who are you going to vote for in the 2020 presidential election?

trump-biden

DATA DIG: The political preferences of jewelers mostly follow wider national trends: Trump supporters are slightly more likely to be men than women, and the president’s strongest support comes from jewelers in the South and Midwest, while he polls worst in the Northeast and West. Only 10% of the Biden supporters in our survey listed taxes as a top issue, although 66% of them cited social issues such as racism as an important concern. Meanwhile, only 32% of voters who thought COVID-19 was a big issue were planning to vote for Trump. Similarly, 82% of the jewelers who said they would not get a vaccine shot were Trump supporters. Broadly speaking, the more a jeweler earned, the more he or she was likely to be planning to vote for the conservative candidate, with 61% of those making more than $250,000 a year identifying themselves as supporters of the Republican Party’s man compared to only 42% of those who made less than $40,000 in 2019.

38. What has been the impact of the Trump administration on your business?

Terrific
26%
Quite good
30%
So-so, Some good. Some bad
28%
Not very good
8%
Awful
9%

39. What has been the impact of the Trump administration on your life in non-business areas?

Terrific
21%
Quite good
24%
So-so, Some good. Some bad
24%
Not very good
12%
Awful
19%

40. Do you keep your political preferences hidden from your customers?

Yes

56%

Sort of — but it’s not much of a secret where my political sympathies lie.

35%

41. What will be the most important issues for you in the election? Please choose three.

The economy and jobs
63%
Taxes
32%
Small business issues such as government regulation
28%
Health care
28%
Social issues like diversity, racism, empowering women
26%
Climate change
19%
Foreign policy
18%
Gun laws
16%
COVID-19
16%
Terrorism and national security
13%
Social Security
13%
National debt
12%
Immigration
11%
Trade and tariffs
9%
Breaking up the tech giants like Amazon, Facebook, Google
8%
Abortion rights
8%
Student debt
12%

COMMENT: Among the “Other” responses were restoring law and order, Supreme Court appointments and restoring unity in the country.

When There’s No Succession Plan, Call Wilkerson

Bob Wesley, owner of Robert C. Wesley Jewelers in Scottsdale, Ariz., was a third-generation jeweler. When it was time to enjoy life on the other side of the counter, he weighed his options. His lease was nearing renewal time and with no succession plan, he decided it was time to call Wilkerson. There was plenty of inventory to sell and at first, says Wesley, he thought he might try to manage a sale himself. But he’s glad he didn’t. “There’s no way I could have done this as well as Wilkerson,” he says. Wilkerson took responsibility for the entire event, with every detail — from advertising to accounting — done, dusted and managed by the Wilkerson team. “It’s the complete package,” he says of the Wilkerson method of helping jewelers to easily go on to the next phase of their lives. “There’s no way any retailer can duplicate what they’ve done.”