About half of Americans have a negative view on Tesla and Elon Musk, CNBC survey finds

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has been under fire recently, with both the general public and investors expressing their dissatisfaction with both Musk and his company, Tesla. The stock of Tesla has been plummeting, and a recent CNBC survey revealed that over 47% of the public holds a negative view of the electric vehicle maker. Only 27% have a positive view, while 24% are neutral. In comparison, General Motors received a more positive response, with a third of the public viewing the company in a positive light.

One of the main concerns surrounding Tesla is Musk’s controversial political affiliations, including his support for President Donald Trump and the Republican party. This has led to protests at Tesla offices across the country, as potential buyers feel alienated by Musk’s actions. The survey also found Musk himself to be a polarizing figure, with half of the public having a negative view of him, 36% seeing him positively, and 16% remaining neutral.

Interestingly, while many groups have a positive view of electric vehicles in general, they do not feel the same way about Tesla specifically. Men, for example, are more positive about electric vehicles overall but are evenly divided on Tesla. Young people aged 18-34 also have a positive view of electric vehicles but are negative about Tesla. Democrats have a positive view of electric vehicles but a highly negative view of Tesla.

Republicans, on the other hand, have a strong positive view of Tesla but are net negative on electric vehicles as a whole. This divide highlights the complexity of the issue and the challenges facing Tesla in appealing to a wide range of potential customers.

The survey, which was conducted from April 9 to April 13 and involved 1,000 people nationwide, has a margin of error of +/-3.1%. Tesla did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the survey findings.

In conclusion, Tesla and Elon Musk are facing a challenging time as public opinion turns against them. The company will need to address the concerns raised in the survey and work on improving its image in order to win back the support of both investors and potential customers.