According to a new poll from Gallup, Americans largely see themselves as center-right or moderate with only 24 percent say they are liberals.
Asked how they view themselves, 37 percent call themselves center-right while 35 percent say they are moderates.
Between those identifying themselves as moderates and conservatives, Gallup noted there has been a significant change over the last several years.
“From 1999 to 2008, the two groups were about even, whereas from 1992 to 1998, moderates generally had the slight edge,” Gallup noted.
Breaking it down by party label, Republicans remain largely conservative with 73 percent of the GOP faithful calling themselves right of center while 21 percent say they are moderates and 4 percent say they are liberals.
Among Democrats, almost half of them–49 percent–say they are liberals while 36 percent consider themselves moderates and 14 percent say they are conservatives.
Over the past quarter-century, the liberal wing of the Democratic Party has about doubled in size. Gallup pointed out that in 1994, 25 percent of Democrats said they were liberal.
Independents are far more likely to be in the middle with 45 percent saying they are moderate, 30 percent saying they are conservative and 21 percent saying they are liberal.
There is something of a gender gap as men are far more likely to be conservative while women are more divided. The survey also found those with higher levels of formal education are more likely to be liberal and less likely to be conservative.
When it comes to geographic regions, the coastal areas are only marginally conservative in their ideological outlook while the conservative advantage is stronger in the Midwest and South.
Gallup looked ahead to November and said it could come down to how Democrats vote.
“The Democratic Party is more fractured. And even though liberalism has been on the rise among Democrats, it is not yet the clear majority position,” Gallup noted.
The findings are based on combined data from 21 Gallup telephone surveys conducted throughout the year, encompassing more than 29,000 interviews with U.S. adults.
Reach Ed Dean at ed.dean@floridadaily.com.
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