Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Americans and the 2026 midterms 


Politics

A monthly digest of research on public attitudes on politics and major policy issues · Subscribe ↗


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.

2 cropped photos side by side showing New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Washington, D.C., mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images; Craig Hudson for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

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. 

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.

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