After Super Tuesday, Google searches for one phrase hit an all-time high
Following the biggest night of primary results in the presidential election so far, a record number of people went online looking for someplace a little more calm and cool.
- Finalist for the Nesta Tipping Point prize and a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were the big winners in the Super Tuesday primary races on the road to the White House, but the results seem to have left some people feeling like the entire United States is a lost cause, if Google's search data is any indication.
According to the Google Trends team, searches for the phrase "Move to Canada" reached their highest point in the search engine's history, well eclipsing the previous peak in November of 2004 following the reelection of President George W. Bush.
In a chart posted to Twitter on Wednesday, Google itself speculates that it is the success of Trump more than Clinton that is inspiring people to consider their migration options in the wake of a highly unorthodox election cycle. Trump won seven state contests on Super Tuesday, as did Clinton.
Others might look at the data and conclude that Google's base of users is overwhelmingly made up of Democratic supporters.
Google users also seemed to have made up their minds who the two major party nominees will be by Tuesday evening, when the phrase "Trump versus Hillary" also hit an all-time high.
Then again, we probably shouldn't put too much stock in what search engines say about elections. Last night, Bing's Super Tuesday predictions were more right than wrong, but still failed to see three of the states apiece that Trump and Clinton would both lose.
