Thursday, January 7, 2010

Even Gallup Proves Liberals Are Just A Fringe Group. What Say You Our Fringe Subculture?

Conservatives Finish 2009 as No. 1 Ideological Group

Uptick owing largely to more independents calling themselves conservative

by Lydia Saad
PRINCETON, NJ -- The increased conservatism that Gallup first identified among Americans last June persisted throughout the year, so that the final year-end political ideology figures confirm Gallup's initial reporting: conservatives (40%) outnumbered both moderates (36%) and liberals (21%) across the nation in 2009.
More broadly, the percentage of Americans calling themselves either conservative or liberal has increased over the last decade, while the percentage of moderates has declined.
Political Ideology -- Annual Trends From 1992-2009
Since 1992, there have been only two other years -- 2003 and 2004 -- in which the average percentage of conservatives nationwide outnumbered moderates, and in both cases, it was by two percentage points (in contrast to the current four points).
"The proportion of independents calling themselves "moderate" held relatively steady in the mid-40s over the last decade, while the proportion of Republican and Democratic moderates dwindled."
The rather abrupt three-point increase between 2008 and 2009 in the percentage of Americans calling themselves conservative is largely owing to an increase -- from 30% to 35% -- in the percentage of political independents adopting the label. Over the same period, there was only a slight increase in professed conservatism among Republicans (from 70% to 71%) and no change among Democrats (at 21%).
Recent Trend in Percentage Identifying as Conservative -- by Party ID
The 2009 findings come from an aggregate of 21 separate Gallup and USA Today/Gallup surveys, including nearly 22,000 interviews. The 1992 to 2008 trends also represent thousands of interviews compiled for each year. Thus, the margins of sampling error around the individual estimates are less than one percentage point.
Trends of the Past Decade
Just looking at the decade that ended in 2009, Gallup's annual political ideology trends document a slight dip in the percentage of Americans calling themselves moderate (from 40% in 2000 to 36% in 2009), while, at the same time, the ranks of both liberals and conservatives expanded slightly.
Gallup measures political ideology by asking Americans to indicate whether their political views are very conservative, conservative, moderate, liberal, or very liberal. The detailed responses show a slight increase between 2000 and 2009 in the percentage of Americans calling themselves "very conservative" (from 6% to 9%) and less change in the percentage calling themselves "very liberal" (from 4% to 5%). Most conservatives continue to call themselves "conservative" rather than "very conservative," and the same pattern is seen for liberals.
Detailed Political Ideology Findings: 2000 vs. 2009
Republicans Become More Solidly "Conservative"
In addition to the very recent increase in conservatism among independents, a growing percentage of Republicans identified themselves as such starting in 2003. Across the same period, the percentage of Democrats calling themselves conservative dipped slightly, somewhat offsetting the increase among Republicans.
Recent Trend in Percentage Conservative -- by Party ID
Partisans Shy Away From "Moderate" Label
The proportion of independents calling themselves "moderate" held relatively steady in the mid-40s over the last decade, while the proportion of Republican and Democratic moderates dwindled. Between 2000 and 2009, the percentage of moderates fell five percentage points among Democrats (from 44% to 39%) and seven points among Republicans (from 31% to 24%).
Recent Trend in Percentage Moderate -- by Party ID
Democrats Grow Increasingly "Liberal"
Similar to the increased conservatism among Republicans, there was a gradual increase in the last decade in "liberal" identification among Democrats, from 29% in 2002 to 38% in 2007, and it has since remained at about that level.
Recent Trend in Percentage Liberal -- by Party ID
The effect of this shift among Democrats is most apparent when one reviews the trend in their ideological profile over the past decade. Whereas moderates constituted the largest bloc of Democrats in 2000, today they are about tied with liberals as twin leaders, and the proportion of conservatives has declined.
Recent Political Ideology Trend -- Among Democrats
By contrast, the expanded number of conservatives making up the Republican Party has merely strengthened the conservatives' already strong hold on that party.
Recent Political Ideology Trend -- Among Republicans
And despite the recent uptick in conservatism among independents, the largest segment continues to be moderate (although by a smaller margin than previously).
Recent Political Ideology Trend -- Among Independents
Bottom Line
Political independents showed increased attachment to the "conservative" label in 2009, boosting the overall ranks of that group so that it now clearly outnumbers moderates in Gallup's annual averages for the first time since 2004. Longer term, the proportions of Americans calling themselves conservative as well as liberal expanded slightly this past decade, largely because of increased partisan attachment to each label. At the same time, the percentage of "moderates" has dwindled, underscoring the heightened polarization of American politics as the nation heads into a new decade.
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Survey Methods
Results are based on aggregated data from Gallup polls conducted in 2009, each based on telephone interviews with 1,000 or more national adults, aged 18 and older. For results based on the total sample of 21,905 national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±1 percentage point.
Other results are based on aggregated Gallup surveys of approximately 1,000 national adults 18 and older each. Sample sizes for the annual compilations range from approximately 10,000 to approximately 40,000. For these results, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±1 percentage point.
In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

12 comments:

  1. BWAAAAAHAHAHAHA ... look at those fringe nut-jobs the liberals. Wearing their aluminum-foil hats. Bunch of whack-o Truthers rioting at the G-20 and COP 15! Bruce fits right in with them. Did you have that pinata-head lined on the inside with tin-foil Bruce, to keep the voices out, and keep the government from spying on your LIEberal Al Qaeda plans!!?

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  2. Don't forget the riots at the WTO this year. We need to be afraid of these progressive fringe. Just look at all the ecoterrorist out there. And most of the drive a Prius. All along the left have been saying we are the fringe. We are the majority in idealogy. Sucks to be a liberal and a Democrat.

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  3. Chris, you are the fringe. This polling means very little. A more accurate poll, in my opinion, is to ask people where they stand on individual issues. Media Matters did a study like that and I will be able to post it probably by tomorrow.

    Self-identification based on these criteria doesn't give the real picture.

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  4. Bruce REAL Picture will be Developed in NOVEMBER and thats a FACT! On the Issues that Matter JOBS,ECONOMY and SECURITY! Bet those Crimianl Murders Trial in New York City will help those POLL numbers, and the Fact Administration has been SO Transparent,You Know, NO SECRET Deals,Bribery with Tax Payers money,OH Never Mind LIBS have been there DONE that Also. Face it Bruce you got a ONE TERMER and his SAYING one thing and DOING another Aint going to play with Citizen Second TIME Around! Nobamas Legacey will be that he WOKE up VOTERS who will Show there FEELINGS in up coming ELECTIONS!

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  5. Gallup isn't the only poll calling liberals a fringe. They are all calling them the fringe at 21% or less of the American population. And when it comes down to it,the liberals are on the wrong side of polled issues 9 times out of 10. Look at the health care reform.67% of Americans want Congress to drop the bill all together.

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  6. No one wants to be liberal. Liberals are always sticking things in their ass and banging everything they can. Isn't NAMBLA a liberal organization? 'Cuz it isn't conservative thats for sure. If it's dirty or gross the liberals want to do it and make it legal. Who in Gods Earth would admit they are liberal?

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  7. BWAAAAAHAHAHAHA ... now GALLUP is too conservative of a poll?!?! Only MEDIA MATTERS gives an unbiased poll!!?!? That's one of the most liberal organizations out there, a fact they take pride in. I can't wait to see this poll Bruce. Make sure you post a link and don't just make up BS numbers. We'll know you are full of it by the amount of information you provide.

    Meanwhile, as we wait for Bruce to make up some numbers, please enjoy this video as HotAir takes their cameras inside the Media Matters offices. It's a real eye-opener! BWAAAAHAHAHAHA

    http://hotair.com/archives/2010/01/06/hidden-camera-video-red-eye-goes-inside-the-media-matters-offices/

    Hey Bruce, have the terrorists won yet? Because we've been really tearing into Obummer, and I know you said that if we criticize him the terrorists will win. Just like you planned with Bush, right?

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  8. Question of the DAY LIBS: Do You Feel SAFER today than YOU did a YEAR Ago? Bet You the Terrorist DO?

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  9. Generic Congressional Ballot
    Generic Ballot: Republicans 44%, Democrats 35%
    Tuesday, January 05, 2010

    Republican candidates start the year by opening a nine-point lead over Democrats, the GOP's biggest in several years, in the latest edition of the Generic Congressional Ballot.

    The new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 44% would vote for their district’s Republican congressional candidate while 35% would opt for his or her Democratic opponent.
    While the Republican lead has reached a new high, it should be noted that support for GOP candidates rose just one point over the past week, while support for Democrats dropped four points to its lowest level in years.

    In addition, the number of Americans identifying themselves as Democrats fell to the lowest level recorded in more than seven years of tracking.

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  10. You repugs need to shut the fuck up.

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  11. djjyz Educated LIB the WORSE kind! Bet YOUR Mommys PROUD!

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Please keep it clean and nice. Thank you for taking the time to post you thought. It means a lot to me that you do this.