Partisanship & Issues

Overview If the federal government shuts down because Republicans and the Obama administration fail to agree on a budget, there will be plenty of blame to go around. About as many say they would blame the Republicans (39%) for such a standoff as say they would blame Obama (36%), with 17% volunteering that both would […]

It is not clear that such high-minded bipartisanship has ever driven Americans' views on foreign policy. What is notable today, however, is the degree of such partisanship and the accelerating pace of this polarization on key international policy issues.

Overview As lawmakers return for what promises to be a busy fall session, GOP congressional leaders face mounting disapproval among Tea Party Republicans. Just 27% of Republicans and GOP leaners who agree with the Tea Party approve of the job Republican leaders in Congress are doing, compared with 71% who disapprove. The job rating of […]

A recent survey of Republican and Republican-leaning adults about the GOP’s future found stark age differences in opinions on the question of whether more diverse nominees would help the party perform better in future elections.

Proposals to raise the minimum wage face stiff opposition in Congress from Republicans, particularly in the House. But within the GOP base, there are sharp educational and income differences over the issue.

The Republicans may have a new, younger guard to choose from in seeking the White House in 2016, but with ideological divisions in the party about policy, the GOP faces challenges in winning over younger voters.

About four-in-ten Republican voters say they agree with the Tea Party movement, down from its height in 2010.

There is a 17-point gap between the percentage of Tea Party Republicans (62%) and non-Tea Party Republicans (45%) who say they always vote in primary elections.

Both parties currently are unpopular with the public, but as the GOP showed in 2010, a party with a low favorability rating can still score a sweeping victory in midterm elections.

Overview Coming off of two consecutive presidential election defeats, most Republican voters believe that their party must address major problems to be more competitive in the future. And roughly six-in-ten say improved messaging alone will not be enough – the GOP also needs to reconsider some of its positions. Yet while Republicans may agree on […]