There is no denying that we are in the middle of a highly contentious election cycle. With ramped-up rhetoric and political violence, many Democrats are so scared for the future of America that they say they will move abroad if Trump beats Biden in November.
Ronan McMahon’s Real Estate Trend Alert (RETA), one of the largest global networks of international real estate investors and a leading source of expertly vetted real estate deals in high-demand destinations, just released results from its most recent survey of International Living readers.
Survey Results
This survey was conducted before the presidential election in November and received 607 responses from subscribers across the United States. Among the several questions asked to respondents who are interested in investing in real estate abroad, the main findings from the survey showed that:
- Most respondents, who are likely voters across the political spectrum, said that the election outcome would “likely” or “very likely” influence their decision to move abroad, with Democrats having the highest number at 78%.
- Portugal is the clear favorite across all political parties for being the top destination country, with Costa Rica and Mexico ranking in the top five for each group.
- Substantial voters from all political parties collectively are unaware of the political landscapes in their desired countries abroad.
Here is a more detailed breakdown of the key findings:
When asked how likely the outcome of the presidential election this November is to impact their decision to move abroad, a majority of voters across all political affiliations said the outcome would influence them. Notably, 78% of Democrats expressed that they would be influenced to relocate abroad if their candidate did not win, compared to only 58% of Republicans and 66.5% of Independents.
How likely is it that the outcome of the federal elections would influence your consideration to move abroad?
|
Affiliation |
(Very) Likely |
Neutral |
(Very) Unlikely |
| Republicans | 58% | 28.3% | 13.7% |
| Democrats | 78% | 17.4% | 4.6% |
| Independent | 66.5% | 21.3% | 12.2% |
“It is quite interesting to see that this sentiment spans across all political groups, not just one in particular, to different extents,” said McMahon. “This trend only adds to the profound impact that this election is having on the American public and could be an early sign of a potential boom in investment abroad.”
Respondents who answered “likely” or “very likely” were then asked to specify their preferred country to relocate to. According to the results, Portugal emerged as the top destination among respondents across every political affiliation. Additionally, Costa Rica and Mexico consistently ranked among the top five preferred countries for all voters across the political spectrum.
Which country would you prefer to move to first and foremost?
|
Affiliation |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
5th |
| Republicans | Portugal | Costa Rica | Panama | Italy | Mexico & Belize |
| Democrats | Portugal | Mexico | Costa Rica | France | Italy |
| Independent | Portugal | Costa Rica | Panama | Mexico | Spain |
“Folks with different political views often express varying preferences when it comes to living arrangements, but Portugal stands out as a perfect ‘middle-ground’ for otherwise polarized investors,” said McMahon. “For international real estate investors, this strong universal interest in Portugal, along with other shared countries such as Costa Rica and Mexico, could signify potential hotspots for investment following the election.”
Subsequently, voters were then asked to express their understanding of their desired country’s political climate should they move abroad. While there was a slight variation in the results across the three different political affiliations, most voters do not have a clear or accurate idea of their desired country’s political orientation. For reference, the average number of Republicans who responded “I’m not sure” reached ~46%, nearly half of all respondents who fall under this political affiliation. In another instance, 90% of Democrat respondents assessed France’s government as predominantly left-wing, whereas it is more centrist.
What is your understanding of the government’s political orientation in the country you would consider moving to?
Republicans:
| Left-Leaning | Center-left | I’m not sure | Center-right | Right-leaning | |
| Portugal
(Center-Left) |
10% | 40% | 25% | 15% | 10% |
| Costa Rica
(Center-Left) |
0% | 12% | 56% | 28% | 4% |
| Panama
(Center-Right) |
0% | 13% | 67% | 20% | 0% |
| Italy
(Right-Leaning) |
0% | 0% | 44% | 33% | 23% |
| Mexico
(Center-Left) |
0% | 12.5% | 50% | 25% | 12.5% |
| Belize
(Center-Left) |
0% | 22% | 33% | 33% | 12% |
Democrats:
| Left-leaning | Center-left | I’m not sure | Center-right | Right-leaning | |
| Portugal
(Center-Left) |
6% | 53% | 29% | 12% | 0% |
| Mexico
(Center-Left) |
0% | 33% | 50% | 8% | 9% |
| Costa Rica
(Center-Left) |
9% | 36% | 55% | 0% | 0% |
| France
(Center) |
10% | 80% | 10% | 0% | 0% |
| Italy
(Right-Leaning) |
0% | 16.5% | 33% | 16.5% | 33% |
Independent:
| Left-leaning | Center-left | I’m not sure | Center-right | Right-leaning | |
| Portugal
(Center-Left) |
3% | 40% | 40% | 17% | 0% |
| Costa Rica
(Center-Left) |
11% | 26% | 48% | 7% | 8% |
| Panama
(Center-Right) |
0% | 7% | 40% | 40% | 13% |
| Mexico
(Center-Left) |
8% | 46% | 31% | 15% | 0% |
| Spain
(Center-Left) |
0% | 22% | 55% | 23% | 0% |
About the survey
The survey was conducted on April 22, 2024, among 607 International Living readers. 37.3% of respondents identified as Republican, 18% identified as Democrat, 38% identified as Independent, and 6.7% answered “Other/No Preference.” The complete survey results are available upon request.