Gallup poll shows largest increase in Democratic Party affiliation in a decade
More Americans identify as Democrats than Republicans by a margin that hasn’t been seen in a decade, according to a report released by Gallup on Wednesday.
An average of 49% of adults age 18 and older reported Democratic Party affiliation or said they are independent with Democratic leanings throughout the first quarter of 2021, the pollster reported. The survey was conducted by phone from January-March.
In comparison, 40% of adults identified as Republican or Republican-leaning. The 9% difference is the Democrats’ largest advantage since the fourth quarter of 2012, according to the report.
The remaining 11% of respondents were political independents with no partisan leanings.
Democrats have typically held a 4 to 6 point advantage over Republicans. Shortly before the first quarter of the year, the gap in affiliation was virtually nonexistent before Democrats’ advantage widened by 9%.
reported.
The passing of the COVID-19 relief package in March, a decline in new infections and deaths from the coronavirus and the push for mass vaccinations preceded a rise in affinity for the Democratic Party, according to Gallup.
Fewer people are dying from COVID-19 thanks to vaccination efforts targeting vulnerable populations. But the U.S. continues to report high levels of cases.
Past jumps in party affiliations
The bump in Democratic affiliation following Biden’s inauguration mirrors that of former President Barack Obama’s first term, Jones said.
“That was really the high point that we’ve seen; kind of the 2006-2009 period, when really the majority of Americans either identified as Democrats outright or were independents but they leaned toward the party,” he said. “Our data on this only goes back to the ’90s, but it’s pretty much the only time we consistently had one party with the majority of Americans on their side.”
Republican advantages, though rarer and more short-lived, followed the Gulf War in 1991 — when George H.W. Bush was in office — and the 9/11 terrorist attacks during President George W. Bush’s term, according to Gallup. More people also reported GOP affiliation after the 1994, 2010 and 2014 midterm elections.
