Negative assessments of other party’s policies are biggest reason for leaning toward a party among independents | Pew Research Center

August 5, 2022

As Partisan Hostility Grows, Signs of Frustration With the Two-Party System

Negative assessments of other party’s policies are biggest reason for leaning toward a party among independents

Negative assessments of other party’s policies are biggest reason for leaning toward a party among independents

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Negative assessments of other party’s policies are biggest reason for leaning toward a party among independents

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As Partisan Hostility Grows, Signs of Frustration With the Two-Party System
Growing shares of both Republicans and Democrats say members of the other party are more immoral, dishonest, closed-minded than other Americans
Support for more political parties is highest among independents, higher among Democrats than Republicans
Share of Americans holding unfavorable views of both parties among the highest in decades
Rise in share of Democratic leaners who cite frustration with party leadership as reason they don’t identify with the party
Two decades of rising partisan antipathy
Partisans about equally likely to cite harm from opposing party’s policies, good resulting from their party’s policies as major reason for their partisan identification
Negative assessments of other party’s policies are biggest reason for leaning toward a party among independents
Since 2016, a growing share of Democratic leaners cite frustration with the party’s leadership as a major reason why they do not identify as Democrats
Republicans and Democrats without college degrees say their party sticking up for people like them is a ‘major reason’ for affiliating
Looking ahead, most Democrats and Republicans say it is ‘very unlikely’ they will vote for the other party’s candidates