Politics of autistic Americans?

[ProgressiveModerate]

The number of people being diagnosed with autism is on the rise so this could be an underrated voting block around the margins.

Part of what makes answering this question challenging is that autism is a very diverse spectrum and for many other identity elements and life experiences are more dominant in shaping their politics.

As an autistic person, one thing I will say is that your average autistic person is more likely to be quite rigid in their political beliefs than non-autistic people, it's just how we think. I also think some autistic people may be more susceptible to political extremism because of loneliness/lack of real world connection - autistic individuals are very prominent in incel 4chan type spaces and also amongst certain niches of the far left (i.e. people with neopronouns and making it a huge part of their identity).

I would say on average though, your typical autistic individual is a bit more left leaning than your average American - one underrated reason for this is the very high correlation between autism and being LGBTQ - autistic people are far more likely to be (openly) LGBTQ compared to the general public - while there isn't a ton of great data around this some have suggested a majority of the autistic people are LGBTQ. I wonder if there's just an inherent relationship, or if autistic people just care less about social norms - it seems like no one knows the answer for sure yet.

[Kamala's side hoe]

I would say on average though, your typical autistic individual is a bit more left leaning than your average American - one underrated reason for this is the very high correlation between autism and being LGBTQ - autistic people are far more likely to be (openly) LGBTQ compared to the general public - while there isn't a ton of great data around this some have suggested a majority of the autistic people are LGBTQ. I wonder if there's just an inherent relationship, or if autistic people just care less about social norms - it seems like no one knows the answer for sure yet.

Previous demographics polls of this message board directly contradict this statement. Also, the vast majority of my (disproportionately neurodivergent) RL social circle are not LGBT. I do wonder if neurodivergent ciswomen are more bi-curious than their neurotypical counterparts though.  

I suspect this group is left-leaning both in the US and in the rest of the Anglosphere, to the extent that lower-functioning folx on the autism spectrum have coherent political consciousness or worldviews.

[Samof94]

Solid D

[wnwnwn]

Female?: Lean D, I suppose
Male?:
baby baby it´s a wild world.
Maybe lean R?

A good number of "the major parties are the same" people, I suppose.

The idea of more autistics being LGTB is stupid. Maybe more likely to not be closeted, tho.

ITOH, I think libertarianism and TERF style feminism is more appealing to autistics than to the average person.

[Progressive Pessimist]

Considering their presence on this website, they seem favorable to Democrats and left-leaning politics.

[Zenobiyl]

Diagnosed? Overwhelmingly Democrat.

[Vice President Christian Man]

I'd say that they're more left than non-autistics especially for white males, but also more prone to extremism of either side. Also I think that the tendency to oppose conformity can lead to an "anti-duopoly" or at least an independent streak.

[JGibson]

I am autistic and a solid Dem.

I see them as a whole D-leaning.

[Secretary of State Liberal Hack]

Low turnout but democratic when they vote.

[SnowLabrador]

I am autistic and a solid Dem.

I see them as a whole D-leaning.

Same.

[nerd73]

Speaking as someone diagnosed with ASD, they probably lean left in general, but are lower trust than the average voter and more prone to extremism/esoteric ideologies on all sides. I admit, not a very original response in this thread tbh.

[TDAS04]

Overall, we're more liberal than average. Obviously it doesn't help that Republicans are perceived as disliking people who are different. Also, even though autistics can be individualistic (depending on how that term is defined), and we usually don't mind doing things on our own, the conservative opposition to a social safety net for the vulnerable is a big turn off.

Having said that, autistics can be clumsy in wording things, and an innocent, truthful comment can come off the wrong way, and some autistics I know say it's harder to talk to Democrats for that reason. I myself get annoyed by those who complain about my "black-and-white" thinking, and lecture me about  "learning to see things in shades of gray."

Autistics aren't rednecks, but we're not exactly hippies either.

[ProgressiveModerate]

Overall, we're more liberal than average. Obviously it doesn't help that Republicans are perceived as disliking people who are different. Also, even though autistics can be individualistic (depending on how that term is defined), and we usually don't mind doing things on our own, the conservative opposition to a social safety net for the vulnerable is a big turn off.

Having said that, autistics can be clumsy in wording things, and an innocent, truthful comment can come off the wrong way, and some autistics I know say it's harder to talk to Democrats for that reason. I myself get annoyed by those who complain about my "black-and-white" thinking, and lecture me about  "learning to see things in shades of gray."

Autistics aren't rednecks, but we're not exactly hippies either.

I find something simillar to - I think autistic people, even those who are left leaning, don’t like over the top PC culture for a variety of reasons. For one it adds a lot of social nuances and conventions we already struggle with.

[Tekken_Guy]

They were pretty favorable to Dems during the Obama era but I feel that autistic men were some of the most prone voters to moving in Trump's direction.

[Vice President Christian Man]

They were pretty favorable to Dems during the Obama era but I feel that autistic men were some of the most prone voters to moving in Trump's direction.

While this is possible, my feeling is that this group trended towards Clinton over Trump's mocking of a disabled reporter, while they trended towards Trump in 2020 over opposition to Covid related restrictions.

[Brittain33]

Strong innate sense of justice
Low tolerance for dishonesty
Feeling unprivileged because of social exclusion

[ProgressiveModerate]

Strong innate sense of justice
Low tolerance for dishonesty
Feeling unprivileged because of social exclusion

Yeah this is a good point - Trump is exactly the type of person I naturally despise for a variety of reasons I think in part due to autism. Dishonest but just the way he has operated is very socially exclusive to people like me. In many cases I hold relatively moderate or conservative values but have a true disdain for that man.

From my experience, the autistic people I know who are more favorable to Trump seem to believe it'll help them "fit in" in a way since MAGA does offer a community of sorts that just doesn't exist on the left.

[darklordoftech]

Feeling unprivileged because of social exclusion

I think people who aren't autistic often don't realize how much harm social exclusion can cause because they've never experienced the same degree of social exclusion nor have they experienced many of the problems autistics experience that being included would help with.

[Cokeland Saxton]

Speaking as someone diagnosed with ASD, they probably lean left in general, but are lower trust than the average voter and more prone to extremism/esoteric ideologies on all sides. I admit, not a very original response in this thread tbh.

Ngl, I did not know you were autistic

[wnwnwn]

They were pretty favorable to Dems during the Obama era but I feel that autistic men were some of the most prone voters to moving in Trump's direction.

While this is possible, my feeling is that this group trended towards Clinton over Trump's mocking of a disabled reporter, while they trended towards Trump in 2020 over opposition to Covid related restrictions.

Do you think people with 'moderate autism' (what they used to call Aspenger) really relate to people with physical disabilities?
Maybe for some, but those surely are well om the left.

[Brittain33]

They were pretty favorable to Dems during the Obama era but I feel that autistic men were some of the most prone voters to moving in Trump's direction.

While this is possible, my feeling is that this group trended towards Clinton over Trump's mocking of a disabled reporter, while they trended towards Trump in 2020 over opposition to Covid related restrictions.

Do you think people with 'moderate autism' (what they used to call Aspenger) really relate to people with physical disabilities?
Maybe for some, but those surely are well om the left.

I don’t relate to people with physical disabilities, but I definitely relate to people being bullied for being different.

[It’s so Joever]

Atlas should be proof this is a safe D demographic on the net.

[wnwnwn]

Atlas should be proof this is a safe D demographic on the net.

I think political history nerds and usually end up on the left and that's the dem of this site.
I suppose the 4chan type autistic alt right usually didn't like History at school.

[dw93]

I'm on the spectrum and consider myself a Democrat, abet a more center/left and a bit populist leaning. I've always voted Democrat, except once, and that was Libertarian in the 2014 Governor's race, and that was the one vote I came to regret.

[TheElectoralBoobyPrize]

Feeling unprivileged because of social exclusion

I think people who aren't autistic often don't realize how much harm social exclusion can cause because they've never experienced the same degree of social exclusion nor have they experienced many of the problems autistics experience that being included would help with.

To phrase what you said another way, I feel like neurotypicals don't realize how important social skills are to success in life.