The American public’s views of the two major political parties are more unfavorable than favorable, with a substantial share expressing negative views of both parties.
- 58% of U.S. adults have an unfavorable view of the Republican Party.
- A nearly identical share (59%) have an unfavorable view of the Democratic Party.
- Favorable views of the Democratic Party have ticked up from a low of 36% in August 2025.
While there have been relatively modest fluctuations in these overall ratings over the last several years, the share of the public holding unfavorable views of both parties is higher than it was several years ago: It stands at 26% today, versus 21% in 2020.
Overwhelming majorities of partisans – those who identify as Republicans or Democrats – view their own party positively. About nine-in-ten Republican identifiers (89%) and 84% of Democratic identifiers hold a favorable view of their own party.
However, leaners continue to diverge from partisans in that they are far less likely to hold favorable views of the party they align with.
About half of Democratic-leaning independents (52%) and 54% of Republican-leaning independents have a favorable view of their own party.
Democratic ratings of the Democratic Party have rebounded somewhat
- Today, 84% of Democratic identifiers rate their party favorably, up from 77% last August.
- 52% of Democratic leaners now view the Democratic Party favorably, up from 44% last summer.
Republican identifiers’ ratings of the GOP are relatively unchanged over the last 12 months.
Negative views of the opposing party remain common among both partisans and leaners
- 92% of Democrats and 89% of Democratic leaners have an unfavorable view of the GOP.
- Similarly, 93% of Republicans and 86% of Republican leaners view the Democratic Party unfavorably.
