Americans are split on whether or not they want entertainment industry celebrities to weigh in on political and social issues.
A Hollywood Reporter/Morning Consult poll published this week indicated that 28 percent of adults want celebrities to use their platform to speak out about political issues, while 29 percent say they want celebrities to stay out of politics.
When it comes to specific issues, Americans are more united. For example, the survey found that 71 percent of American adults believe it is appropriate for a celebrity to encourage people to vote in political elections, and 70 percent say it is okay for them to speak out against sexual harassment.
Forty-three percent of adults do not believe celebrities should speak out against President Trump.
The most divisive issue among Americans in this poll was celebrities weighing in on the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border — 18 percent said such talk is “very appropriate”; 17 percent said “somewhat appropriate”; 18 percent said “not very appropriate”; 25 percent said “not appropriate at all”; and 21 percent had no opinion.
Additionally, 58 percent of those surveyed said they do not care what celebrities have to say when it comes to politics, while 30 percent of people say the political and social opinions of celebrities they like matters to them.
Celebrities have increasingly waded into the waters of commenting on political and social issues, especially involving sexual assault and harassment, race relations, police brutality, illegal immigration, and speaking out against the president.
Over the weekend, Taylor Swift posted an Instagram picture with a lengthy, politically charged caption where she endorsed and announced she would be voting for Democratic candidates Phil Bredesen and Jim Cooper in Tennessee, where she is registered.
[More: Taylor Swift plunges deeper into politics, tells AMA audience to vote in midterm elections]
By Tuesday, vote.org confirmed a spike in voter registration of 64,000 for people between the ages of 18 and 29.
In recent weeks, another music celebrity, rapper Kanye West, went on a rant during a “Saturday Night Live” appearance defending Trump and claiming he was “bullied” backstage for wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat.
