Politics
A monthly digest of research on public attitudes on politics and major policy issues · Subscribe ↗
As the 2026 midterms approach, economy is front and center
Americans are now almost evenly split over whether they agree most with the Democratic Party (37%) or the GOP (36%) on economic policies. At this early stage, Democrats have both an edge in voters’ congressional candidate preferences and an engagement advantage among their coalition.
Beyond red vs. blue: The political typology
Our political typology project reveals a political landscape beyond the two major parties: nine distinct groups, each defined by its own mix of values, beliefs and experiences. We examine not only where these groups stand on a range of policy issues, but also how they differ in their views of the Republican and Democratic parties, their political participation and preferred news sources, and much more.
- Explore the nine groups: No Apologies Right | Faith First Conservatives | Unconventional Right | Pragmatic and Polite Right | Tuned-Out Middle | Order and Opportunity Left | Left-Out Left | Loyal Liberals | Leftward Progressives
Find out where you fit in the political typology
Are you Unconventional Right? Loyal Liberal? Or something else? Answer questions about your views and values and we’ll match you with the typology group that fits you best. You can also create a community quiz to compare results with friends, family or classmates.
About a third of U.S. Democrats like political leaders who identify as democratic socialists
While several democratic socialist candidates have won in recent Democratic primaries, the term itself has relatively modest traction nationally. A new Center analysis finds 32% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say they like leaders who identify as democratic socialists, while 56% express a neutral view. Americans overall are more likely to dislike than like politicians who describe themselves this way.
Fact sheet: Party affiliation in the U.S.
Explore Americans’ partisan identification from 2020 to 2026 based on our National Public Opinion Reference Survey.
- Partisanship by: Gender | Race and ethnicity | Education | Age group and generation
Favorable views of Supreme Court remain near historic low
Republicans, Democrats continue to differ sharply on voting access
U.S. foreign aid is plunging in second Trump administration
8 ways that U.S.-style democracy stands out globally
From our research
The share of Americans who rate economic conditions in the country today as excellent or good, while 41% say they are “only fair” and 35% describe them as poor.