Democrats who see themselves as more liberal or conservative than their party view it less positively
Note: Read the topline for full question wording. On a scale where 0 is very liberal and 10 is very conservative, those listed as “to the left” rate their ideology lower than they rate their party, while those listed as “to the right” rate themselves higher. We gave half of respondents the scale in reverse order but standardized all responses on one scale.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted April 20-26, 2026.
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
Democrats who see themselves as more liberal or conservative than their party view it less positively
| Party | Group | % who view own party favorably | % who view own party unfavorably |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dem/Lean Dem | Total | 70 | 30 |
| Dem/Lean Dem | Place themselves to the left of own party (39%) | 68 | 32 |
| Dem/Lean Dem | Place themselves the same as own party (23%) | 78 | 21 |
| Dem/Lean Dem | Place themselves to the right of own party (36%) | 67 | 32 |
| Rep/Lean Rep | Total | 75 | 24 |
| Rep/Lean Rep | Place themselves to the left of own party (36%) | 68 | 31 |
| Rep/Lean Rep | Place themselves the same as own party (26%) | 82 | 18 |
| Rep/Lean Rep | Place themselves to the right of own party (38%) | 77 | 22 |
Note: Read the topline for full question wording. On a scale where 0 is very liberal and 10 is very conservative, those listed as “to the left” rate their ideology lower than they rate their party, while those listed as “to the right” rate themselves higher. We gave half of respondents the scale in reverse order but standardized all responses on one scale.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted April 20-26, 2026.
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
