Poll: 25% of Republicans Dislike Own Party

As Republicans get more conservative, 25% of those affiliated with the GOP dislike their own party, according to a new Associated Press-GFK poll. 

The poll also found that “13 percent of Democrats say they dislike their own party.”

According to the poll, “around 6 in 10 Americans say they identify with one of the nation’s two major parties,” and that number “rises to nearly 8 in 10 when those who say they lean toward either party are included.” But 25% of Americans hate both parties, and about a third distrust both parties to lead on some of the most important issues facing the country. 

Among those affiliated with the GOP, 22% say they are “conservatives.” And among those who describe themselves as Democrats, 24% say they are “liberal.” There has been a steady increase in the number of Americans who describe themselves as either “conservative” or “liberal” over the last decade. 

A Republican in the survey described the GOP as the party that represents self-reliant individuals going up against a burdensome government while a Democrat in the survey described the party as being for the “underdog”:

A Republican in the survey described the GOP by highlighting issues central to the party’s identity: “Small government, strong national defense, conservative social policies, more self-reliant people rather than people looking for Uncle Sam to support them financially.”

A typical Democrat, on the other hand, described her party’s approach to policy: “They have a social conscience and care about the underdog more than those in the upper socio-economic classes.”

The poll’s margin of error is +/- 3 percentage points.