megimoo
05-23-2009, 06:05 PM
Surge in Voters Calling Themselves 'Independent' Under Obama
Conservatives are holding their own, while the ranks of independents have skyrocketed since November's presidential election, the latest Pew Research Center poll shows.
The poll of 3,013 adults from March 31 to April 21 found that there had been "no consistent movement away from conservatism, nor a shift toward liberalism" since the election.
Republican losses are slowing, the poll found, while Democrats have begun losing ground too. And independent and unaffiliated voters are approaching record highs.
The implications for the president, Congress and the political parties in the next election could be profound. Among the results:
Thirty-nine percent of adults now call themselves independent in Pew's poll of party identification and values. When it comes to all things Washington, independents are "more skittish than they were two years ago about expanding the social safety net and are reluctant backers of greater government involvement in the private sector," the poll said.
People identifying themselves as Democrats have slipped from 39 percent in December to 33 percent now.
People identifying themselves as Republicans have fallen from 26 percent to 22 percent, their lowest level in 25 years, according to Pew.
However, among Republicans, 66 percent call themselves conservative, up from 60 percent in 2,000.
Overall, independent voters lean Democratic. That is typical for the Pew poll, though it also shows conservatism is rising among ( independent), unaffiliated voters: 33 percent say they are conservative, up from 28 percent in 2007 and 26 percent in 2005.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05/22/poll-shows-surge-obama-voters-calling-independent/
Conservatives are holding their own, while the ranks of independents have skyrocketed since November's presidential election, the latest Pew Research Center poll shows.
The poll of 3,013 adults from March 31 to April 21 found that there had been "no consistent movement away from conservatism, nor a shift toward liberalism" since the election.
Republican losses are slowing, the poll found, while Democrats have begun losing ground too. And independent and unaffiliated voters are approaching record highs.
The implications for the president, Congress and the political parties in the next election could be profound. Among the results:
Thirty-nine percent of adults now call themselves independent in Pew's poll of party identification and values. When it comes to all things Washington, independents are "more skittish than they were two years ago about expanding the social safety net and are reluctant backers of greater government involvement in the private sector," the poll said.
People identifying themselves as Democrats have slipped from 39 percent in December to 33 percent now.
People identifying themselves as Republicans have fallen from 26 percent to 22 percent, their lowest level in 25 years, according to Pew.
However, among Republicans, 66 percent call themselves conservative, up from 60 percent in 2,000.
Overall, independent voters lean Democratic. That is typical for the Pew poll, though it also shows conservatism is rising among ( independent), unaffiliated voters: 33 percent say they are conservative, up from 28 percent in 2007 and 26 percent in 2005.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05/22/poll-shows-surge-obama-voters-calling-independent/