The number of Americans identifying as Democrats and Republicans has fallen to near historic lows, according to a new Gallup poll. Affiliation to the Democratic Party is at 29 percent, its lowest level in 27 years while 42 percent of those polled identify as independents, a fall of 1 percent on last year. Republican Party affiliation stands at 26 percent.
Four in every 10 Americans now has no party affiliation, though Democrats have a slight advantage among independents. Approximately 16 percent of independents favor the Democrats, giving the party a 3 percent lead over Republicans. This is lower than the Democrats enjoyed in 2008 when Barack Obama won the White House.
Gallup cited public discontent with government to explain the low level of party support. A survey conducted earlier this month showed that average Americans see government as the country’s biggest problem beating the economy into second place. Respondents were twice as likely to name government as a problem than unemployment or immigration. For the first time since 2007, no single issue reached 20 percent concern, which may indicate the divisions among voters in the upcoming presidential and congressional elections. The favorable ratings of each party are at the lower end of polling, Gallup reports.
We should not let our affiliation to a political party blind us to say what is right or wrong.
— ABJ (@Kingbiodun_) January 8, 2016
Most states require voters to state a party affiliation or register as an independent. An exception is Vermont, home state of Democratic candidate Senator Bernie Sanders, where voters are not required to state any affiliation. Vermont’s policy has allowed Sanders to run in the Democratic presidential primaries while still maintaining his independent credentials.
