Understanding Shifts in Democratic Party Ideology
* * *
- White Democrats becoming liberal at faster rate than other
- Rise in education levels a factor in pushing party to the left
- Wide conservative-liberal gaps persist on certain values issues
* * *
By
With progressives in the Democratic Party flexing newfound strength in
Gallup has assembled 18 years of data to look in depth at how the
This article addresses the following questions:
* Is Democrats' trend toward liberalism over the past two decades uniform within the party or has it occurred more among some groups than among others?
* How has the demographic profile of Americans identifying as
* Who constitutes the subgroups of liberal, moderate and conservative
* How, if at all, have liberal, moderate and conservative
Background
As Gallup has previously reported, the percentage of
The percentage of
These figures are based on combined data from Gallup surveys conducted from 2001 through 2018, encompassing more than 30,000 interviews with self-identified
Whites and College Grads Jump the Most in Liberal Self-Identification
The increase in
Increased liberal identification has been particularly pronounced among non-Hispanic white
Younger
Nearly identical percentages of Democratic men and women have identified as politically liberal over the years, although women have been consistently two to three points higher than men.
Makeup of Democratic Party Changing: More College-Educated, Less White
Modest changes have also occurred in the demographic makeup of
* The percentage of
* Conforming with broader societal trends, the percentage of nonwhite
* Also consistent with societal changes -- although more pronounced among
Meanwhile, the composition of
Because black and Hispanic Democrats are less likely than white
Relatedly, educational attainment has expanded the most among white
Gallup has found little to no increase in educational attainment among Hispanic and black
Who Are Liberal, Moderate and Conservative Democrats?
Education represents the biggest differentiator between liberal, moderate and conservative
Race is the next-biggest factor, as two-thirds of liberal
Liberal
Democratic Unity on Taxes, Global Warming, Gun Control
Recent Gallup analysis confirms that
The following table summarizes the views of liberal, moderate and conservative
Additionally, despite recent discussion about the extent of
On almost all of these issues, the views of each Democratic ideological subgroup have either become more liberal or been stable over time.
Fundamental Disagreement Seen on Abortion, Healthcare, Marijuana
Conservative and liberal
The key areas of intra-Democratic friction involve abortion, embryonic stem cell research, the death penalty, doctor-assisted suicide, defense spending, government-run healthcare, same-sex marriage, legalization of marijuana and whether global warming is a looming threat. Solid majorities of liberal
Moderate
Bottom Line
As
*
* Increased liberalism has been more pronounced among white than among black or Hispanic Democrats, and white
* An increase in college education among
* Majorities of liberal, moderate and conservative
*
Taken together, these findings suggest that proposals to shrink the wealth gap, strengthen labor unions and address climate change could have broad appeal in the party. At the same time,
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