Americans largely have negative feelings toward both political parties, while positive sentiments are far less common.
Three-quarters of U.S. adults say the Democratic Party makes them feel frustrated, while a smaller majority (64%) says the same of the Republican Party.
Roughly half of Americans also say the Democratic Party (50%) and the Republican Party (49%) make them feel angry.
Far smaller shares say either party makes them feel hopeful or proud:
- 36% of adults say the Republican Party makes them feel hopeful, compared with 28% who say the same of the Democratic Party.
- 27% say they feel proud when thinking about the Republican Party, while only 16% say the same of the Democratic Party.
Americans are more likely to express frustration with the Democratic Party today than they were four years ago (75% today vs. 64% in September 2021). There also have been declines in the shares saying the Democratic Party makes them feel hopeful (28% today vs. 39% in 2021) and proud (16% today vs. 25% in 2021). The new Pew Research Center survey was conducted from Sept. 22 to 28, before the now month-long government shutdown.
Conversely, higher shares of adults say they feel hopeful (36% today vs. 31% in 2021) and proud (27% today vs. 21% in 2021) about the Republican Party. The share of adults who say the Republican Party makes them feel frustrated dropped slightly compared with four years ago (64% today vs. 68% in 2021).
How partisans feel about the opposing party compared with their own
Both Republicans and Democrats overwhelmingly express negative feelings toward the opposing party.
More than eight-in-ten Republicans and Republican-leaning independents (86%) say the Democratic Party makes them feel frustrated, while 89% of Democrats and Democratic leaners say the Republican Party makes them feel this way.
Sizable majorities in each party also say the opposing party makes them feel angry (81% of Democrats say this, compared with 70% of Republicans).
No more than one-in-ten in either party say the opposing party makes them feel hopeful or proud.
Partisans’ views of their parties
Democrats are much more likely than Republicans to have negative feelings about their own party. This largely accounts for the more negative views of the Democratic Party among the overall public.
- Two-thirds of Democrats say they are frustrated with the Democratic Party. Fewer than half of Republicans (40%) say the same of the GOP.
- Three-in-ten Democrats also say their own party makes them feel angry. Just 19% of Republicans say the same of their own party.
Democrats also are much less likely than Republicans to feel hopeful and proud when thinking about their party.
- Half of Democrats say their party makes them feel hopeful, compared with 69% of Republicans who say the same of the GOP.
- Just 29% of Democrats say the Democratic Party makes them feel proud; 52% of Republicans say their party evokes feelings of pride.
How partisans’ feelings about their own parties have changed
Both Democrats and Republicans feel very differently about their own parties than they did in September 2021, during Joe Biden’s presidency.
Democrats have become much more negative toward their party since then, while Republicans have more positive feelings toward theirs.
Among Democrats
Two-thirds of Democrats say the Democratic Party makes them feel frustrated, up from 48% who said the same in 2021.
Notably, a much larger share of Democrats also feel frustrated with their party today than did so in 2019, during Donald Trump’s first term (50%).
Democrats also are more likely to express anger toward their own party (30% express this, up from 21% in 2021).
Half of Democrats say their party makes them feel hopeful, down 19 points from four years ago.
Just 29% of Democrats feel pride in their party, compared with 44% who said the same in 2021.
Among Republicans
By contrast, larger shares of Republicans say the GOP makes them feel hopeful and proud compared with four years ago; smaller shares say the party makes them feel frustrated or angry:
- 52% of Republicans say the Republican Party makes them feel proud, up from 43% who said the same in 2021.
- Roughly seven-in-ten Republicans say their party makes them feel hopeful, up somewhat from four years ago (69% today, 62% in 2021).
- 40% of Republicans say their own party makes them feel frustrated, 11 points lower than in 2021.
- 19% of Republicans say the party makes them feel angry, down from 26% four years ago.
In their own words: Why Democrats and Republicans express frustration with their parties
Democrats and Republicans who express frustration with their parties were asked to describe, in their own words, what frustrates them most about their parties. While Democrats focused on the party’s failure to take a more aggressive stance against Trump, Republicans were more likely to cite the party’s policies.
What frustrates Democrats about the Democratic Party?
By far the most common response from Democrats is that the party is not fighting hard against Trump (41%).
Those who identify as a Democrat are especially likely to cite this as a reason for frustration compared with independents who lean toward the Democratic Party: 48% of Democratic partisans say the party isn’t fighting hard enough against Trump, compared with 32% of Democratic leaners.
Other reasons Democrats cite include lack of good leadership within the party (13%), lack of a cohesive message or agenda (10%), the party being out of touch with voters (8%), its failure to keep promises when the party held power (7%), and lack of unity within the party (5%).
What frustrates Republicans about the Republican Party?
Republicans overall are less likely than Democrats to voice frustration with their party. Among Republicans who are frustrated, 20% mention a specific policy they are unhappy with, including 8% who cite the party’s economic policies.
Republicans also cite other reasons for their frustration, including 16% who complain about a lack of action on a certain issue. Others cite unkept promises by the party (10%), not enough compromising with Democrats (9%) and a lack of party unity (9%).
How Americans describe the Republican and Democratic parties
Americans largely describe both parties as too extreme and supportive of policies that interfere too much in people’s lives. Smaller shares say the parties govern honestly.
- 61% say the phrase “too extreme in its positions” describes the Republican Party very or somewhat well; 57% describe the Democratic Party as too extreme.
- Nearly identical shares say both parties support policies that interfere too much in people’s lives (55% say this of the Democratic Party, 54% say it about the Republican Party).
Neither party is widely seen as governing honestly. Fewer than half say the Democratic Party (42%) and the Republican Party (39%) govern in an honest and ethical way.
There are wider differences in views of the parties’ respect for democracy and tolerance for different types of people.
More Americans say the Democratic Party respects the country’s democratic institutions, compared to the Republican Party. A narrow majority (53%) describe the Democratic Party as respectful of the country’s democratic institutions and traditions, while fewer (44%) say the same of the GOP.
Democrats also are more widely described as respectful and tolerant of different types of people. A 56% majority say this describes the Democratic Party very or somewhat well; 40% say the same sentiment accurately describes the Republican Party.
How partisans describe both parties
In general, both Republicans and Democrats are overwhelmingly critical of the other party, while offering more positive descriptions of their own party.
However, on some traits, relatively large minorities of Republicans and Democrats fault their own parties:
Nearly half of Republicans (46%) and 38% of Democrats say their own parties are too extreme in their positions.
By contrast, about three-quarters of Republicans (77%) and Democrats (78%) say this description applies to the opposing party.
Similarly, about four-in-ten in each party say their party backs policies that interfere too much in people’s lives. Again, much larger shares say this describes the other party.
Large majorities in both parties (72% of Republicans vs. 71% of Democrats) credit their own parties for governing honestly. Relatively small shares say this trait describes the opposing party, although Republicans are more likely to say the Democratic Party governs honestly (16%) than vice versa (10% of Democrats).
Republicans are less likely than Democrats to say their own party respects democratic traditions; 77% of Republicans say this describes their party, while 85% of Democrats describe their party this way. And Republicans are about twice as likely as Democrats to say the opposing party is respectful of democratic institutions and traditions (23% vs. 12%).
This dynamic is more pronounced in views of whether the parties are respectful and tolerant of different types of people. More than eight-in-ten Democrats (86%) say this description applies to their party; a smaller majority of Republicans (72%) say it applies to their party.
Nearly three-in-ten Republicans (29%) say the Democratic Party is tolerant of different types of people; just 9% of Democrats say the same about the Republican Party.
While views among partisans are largely similar to those from two years ago, Democrats have grown more critical of the Republican Party on some traits:
- Just 12% of Democrats say that “respects the country’s democratic institutions and traditions” describes the Republican Party, down from 24% in 2023.
- Democrats are also less likely to say the Republican Party governs in an honest and ethical way (10% say this now, compared to 16% two years ago).
Some describe both parties as too extreme and not honest
Overall, about three-in-ten U.S. adults (31%) say both parties are too extreme in their positions, while about a quarter (26%) say neither party governs honestly and ethically.
By contrast, just 11% say both parties are not too extreme, and 10% say both govern honestly and ethically.
Roughly a quarter of Americans (26%) say both parties support policies that interfere too much in people’s lives; fewer (16%) say this description applies to neither party.
