All Pew Research Center surveys about U.S. politics and policy include questions about partisan affiliation. In 2016, from January through August, a total of 8,113 registered voters were asked the following: In politics TODAY, do you consider yourself a Republican, Democrat, or independent? (IF INDEPENDENT, OTHER, DON’T KNOW): As of today do you lean more […]
Survey Report Over the past decade, there has been a pronounced age gap in American politics. Younger Americans have been the Democratic Party’s strongest supporters in both vote preferences and partisanship, while older Americans have been the most reliably Republican. The Pew Research Center’s report earlier this month on partisan identification found that 51% of […]
39% of Americans identify as independents, more than they do as Democrats ( 32%) or as Republicans (23%). This is the highest percentage of independents in more than 75 years of public opinion polling.
All Pew Research Center surveys about U.S. politics and policy include questions about partisan affiliation. In 2014 a total of 25,010 respondents were asked the following: In politics TODAY, do you consider yourself a Republican, Democrat, or independent? (IF INDEPENDENT, OTHER, DON’T KNOW): As of today do you lean more to the Republican Party or […]
A daily roundup of fresh data from scholars, governments, think tanks, pollsters and other social science researchers. Politics Record-high 42% of Americans identify as independents, Gallup What we know and don’t know about our polarized politics, The Washington Post Economy U.S.-NAFTA trade exceeds $100B for first time, Bureau of Transportation Statistics Concentration of wealth, NYC, […]
A plurality of independents (42%) rate Mitt Romney’s choice of Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate “only fair” or “poor,” but even more rate Joe Biden’s performance negatively.
Update: In the years since this piece was published, the survey field has changed. The link between Americans’ willingness to take surveys and their political views became stronger. Researchers developed new methods for addressing this. Pew Research Center’s surveys of U.S. adults now weight on political party affiliation, but the way that is done differs […]
The ranks of political independents continue to grow and now stand at 38% of the public.
A slight majority (51%) of independents support President Obama in a hypothetical general election matchup with Mitt Romney. Independents have shifted from Romney to Obama since January.
Overview As the country enters into the 2012 presidential election cycle, the electorate’s partisan affiliations have shifted significantly since Barack Obama won office nearly three years ago. In particular, the Democrats hold a much narrower edge than they did in 2008, particularly when the partisan leanings of independents are taken into account. Notably, the GOP […]
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About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.
