All in all, Americans don’t see many good ideas from either political party. But when it comes to specific issues, the Republican Party holds advantages on crime and immigration, while the Democratic Party holds advantages on policies related to race, health care, abortion and the environment.
In contrast to a few years ago, neither party now holds a clear edge on economic policy.
On some other issues – particularly the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza – significant shares say they do not agree with either party.
Do the parties have good ideas?
Very few Americans characterize either the Republican or Democratic Party as having a lot of good ideas. And majorities say each has few or no good ideas.
Just 15% of U.S. adults say the Republican Party has a lot of good ideas. Even fewer (8%) say this about the Democratic Party.
This is largely because of differences in how Republicans and Democrats rate their own party’s ideas.
Their party’s ideas versus the other party’s ideas
Those in both partisan coalitions largely say that their own party has some or a lot of good ideas, while the other party has few or almost no good ideas.
Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, however, are more likely than their Democratic counterparts to rate their own party’s ideas positively.
Their own party
- 77% of Republicans say their party has a lot (30%) or some good ideas (47%).
- Fewer Democrats (67%) say their party has a lot (16%) or some good ideas (51%).
The other party
- Just 16% of Republicans say the Democratic Party has at least some good ideas.
- Similarly, only 14% of Democrats say the GOP has good ideas.
Parties on the issues
On balance, Americans agree with the Republican Party more than the Democratic Party on policy issues related to immigration and crime.
Conversely, more Americans agree with the Democratic Party than the GOP on policies that deal with race in the country, health care policy, abortion policy, and environmental and climate policy.
While the balance of Americans agreeing with each party is largely similar to 2023, there have been a few notable shifts:
Crime
The Republican Party’s advantage has grown from 10 percentage points in 2023 to 17 points today.
Policies related to people who are gay, lesbian or transgender
Today, neither party holds a clear advantage on this issue. In 2023, Democrats held an 8-point edge. The shift is largely due to a rise in the share of Americans saying they agree with the GOP and a decline in the share Americans who say they do not agree with either party. The percentage agreeing with the Democratic Party is the same today as it was two years ago (37%).
Policies to deal with the economy and budget deficit
In 2023, the Republican Party had a wide (12-point) advantage over the Democratic Party on economic policy. Today, that advantage has all but disappeared: 38% of Americans agree with the Republican Party, and 35% agree with the Democratic Party. About a quarter (26%) say they agree with neither party – the same share that said so in 2023.
On the budget deficit, the Republican Party has a slight advantage. Today, 33% agree with the GOP on this issue, while 29% agree with the Democratic Party. About four-in-ten (37%) do not agree with either party.
Some issues see more partisans diverging from their parties
While partisans generally stick with their own parties on most issues, there are some notable exceptions:
The conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza
- About half of Democrats (52%) say they do not agree with either party’s position on policies related to the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. By comparison, 40% of Democrats say they agree with their own party. Still, very few (7%) say they agree more with the GOP.
- A sizable – though smaller – share of Republicans (36%) also say they don’t agree with either party on this issue, although a majority of Republicans (57%) agree with the GOP. Just 6% agree with Democrats.
This survey was fielded before the early October deal between Israel and Hamas.
Crime
- 17% of Democrats agree with the Republican Party’s stance on crime. Just over half agree more with the Democratic Party (54%), while about one-in-three (29%) say neither party reflects their views.
Environment and climate
- 60% of Republicans agree with the GOP on this issue, but 15% of Republicans agree more with the Democratic Party.
Abortion
- While 64% of Republicans agree with the GOP on abortion, 14% say they agree more with the Democratic Party.
