Americans have turned to the internet for help to escape a second Trump presidency, with the number of people looking for information on moving to Australia jumping by more than 1100 per cent in the last week.
Republican Donald Trump won the US presidential election last week over the Democratic candidate and current vice-president Kamala Harris.
The results shocked many around the world and in America, with some now even considering leaving the country entirely, and Australia is seen as a top destination to escape to.
That’s if Google Trends and other online traffic statistics are anything to go by.
There was a significant spike in the number of times “moving to Australia from the US” was searched on Google in the days following the election results, with an increase of 1150 per cent, or more than 11 times.
Overall, searches for migration matters from within America increased by more than 1500 per cent following the election, according to statistics compiled by VisaGuide.World.
Our neighbours across the ditch may be set to experience more American expats too, with “moving to New Zealand from the US” being the most searched term following the election, up 76 times from before Trump retook the presidency.
There was also a major increase in Google searches for moving to Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Away we go now
According to the statistics, Americans are mostly investigating moving to other English-speaking countries and nations in Europe.
VisaGuide.World, which provides assistance in obtaining visas in countries around the world, said it had also experienced a spike in traffic from America last week in the wake of the election.
Its page detailing information about moving to Costa Rica experienced a 302 per cent jump in traffic, while visitors to the Norway visa information page increased by 437 per cent.
The company’s post on moving to the UK from the USA had a 375 per cent bump in traffic.
Along with Australia, other nations that appear to be popular among Americans that dislike Trump include Canada, New Zealand and the UK.
“The reasons these countries have emerged as top destinations can vary; Canada is highly searched for due to its geographical proximity and cultural similarities, while New Zealand comes up on this list thanks to its high quality of life,” the VisaGuide.World report said.
According to Google Trends, searches for “moving to Australia from the US” spiked on 6 November, following the election results.
Interest in moving to Australia came primarily from Maine, followed by the District of Columbia, both of which were won by Kamala Harris.
Tech toeing the line
While many appear to be readying to flee America entirely, many other key figures, particularly in the tech sector, have signalled an excitement or willingness to work with the incoming Trump administration, led by Tesla boss Elon Musk.
Following the election results, Apple CEO Tim Cook posted on X that the company was looking forward to working with Trump to ensure America “continues to lead with and be fueled by ingenuity, innovation and creativity”.
Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai also wrote that “we are in a golden age of American innovation and are committed to working with his administration to help bring the benefits to everyone”.
Former Trump critic and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also congratulated Trump on his victory.
