Look. At. This.
43% of us are now independents, and yet still we vote for only two parties.
By the way, that 43% number ties the record from 2014, and I'm sure we'll break it in 2024.
From Gallup:
Political independents continue to constitute the largest political bloc in the U.S., with an average of 43% of U.S. adults identifying this way in 2023, tying the record high from 2014. Independent identification has been 40% or higher each year since 2011, except for the 2016 (39%) and 2020 (39%) presidential election years. Equal 27% shares of U.S. adults identify as Republicans and Democrats, with the Democratic figure marking a new low for that party in Gallup's trend.
Independents passed up the uniparty in 1991 and have had it outnumbered ever since, if you don't include the four years of Bush's second term.
Also important is what the political leanings of these independent voters.
All Gallup survey respondents who identify as independents are then asked whether they lean more toward the Republican Party or the Democratic Party. Last year, slightly more independents leaned Republican than leaned Democratic. As a result, a combined 45% of U.S. adults identify as Republicans or lean toward the GOP, while 43% are Democrats or Democratic leaners.
Interesting, especially heading into the 2024 election.
In addition to measuring their affiliation with either of the major political parties, Gallup asks Americans in each survey to describe their political views on a liberal to conservative spectrum. In 2023, on average, 36% of U.S. adults described their political views as conservative, 36% as moderate and 25% as liberal.
So that's 36% conservative, 36% moderate, and 25% liberal. And yet somehow we still end up with an overwhelming number of liberal Democrats in office across our great nation.
Gee, I wonder how that happens…
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