Fewer Americans identify as ‘liberal’ than in years past, reports Gallup.
Data collected by 21 telephone surveys conducted in 2019 suggest 37% of Americans identify as politically conservative, 35% as moderate, and 24% as liberal.
Compared to 2018, these figures represent a 2-point increase for conservatives and a 2-point decrease for liberals – a trend we haven’t seen since 2011 when the Tea Party enjoyed a burst of support.
“The change is modest but bears watching,” notes The Wall Street Journal. “It could be a blip on the way to a center-left America or the beginning of the end of a generational leftward drift that accelerated under Barack Obama’s presidency.”
As expected, the surveys also suggested more ideological diversity among Democrats than Republicans:
Among Republicans, 73% of survey respondents described themselves as conservative, 21% as moderate, and just 4% as liberal.
Among Democrats, 14% of respondents described themselves as conservative, 36% as moderate, and 49% as liberal.
The 49% figure represents a decrease from 2018, when 51% of Democrats identified as liberal. Move back to 1994 and that figure drops to 25%.
Among Independent respondents, 30% described themselves as conservative, 45% as moderate, and 21% as liberal.
Author’s Note: In addition to Obama’s influence, this ideological shift is likely related to Trump’s presidency as well as the rise of Democratic socialists like Bernie Sanders. Are voters running towards something or away?
Editor’s Note: Liberals would have you believe that there is an avalanche toward the left, that all of America is becoming “woke.” This is good news, even if the results are small and perhaps even within the margin of error. It means that we may have the opportunity to maintain a sane conservative faction even beyond the Trump administration.