Elon Musk has become a far more polarizing figure among American voters over the past year, likely hurting Tesla, according to a new poll released Wednesday.
The details: The national survey of 600 registered voters sponsored by the EV Politics Project, a group started by veteran Republican consultant Mike Murphy that supports increased electric vehicle adoption, found that 70 percent of Republicans now hold a favorable opinion of Elon Musk, a twofold increase compared with data from November 2023. On the flip side, Musk’s unfavorability numbers among Democrats — who are far more likely to purchase EVs — have soared 30 points over that time period to 76 percent.
Among respondents who said climate change is a serious problem, 66 percent disagreed when asked if Musk is a good ambassador for electric vehicles. A slight majority — 52 percent — of those who hold a favorable view of Musk also said EVs are for people who see the world differently from them.
That polarization extends to Tesla, Musk’s car company and the largest EV manufacturer in the world. Of the 20 percent of respondents who said they’re seriously considering buying an EV in the next year, only 63 percent said they have a favorable view of Tesla, compared with 73 percent for Volkswagen, 76 percent for Ford and 94 percent for Toyota.
