How Many People Are Registered Democrats Or Republicans? Actual Numbers, Not Percentages

More Americans place as Democrats than Republicans past a margin that hasn't been seen in a decade, according to a report released by Gallup on Wed.

An average of 49% of adults historic period 18 and older reported Autonomous Political party affiliation or said they are independent with Democratic leanings throughout the first quarter of 2021, the pollster reported. The survey was conducted past phone from January-March.

In comparison, twoscore% of adults identified as Republican or Republican-leaning. The 9 percentage bespeak difference is the Democrats' largest advantage since the fourth quarter of 2012, according to the report.

The remaining 11% of respondents were political independents with no partisan leanings.

Democrats have typically held a 4 to 6 bespeak advantage over Republicans. Presently before the first quarter of the year, the gap in affiliation was virtually nonexistent before Democrats' reward widened by 9 points.

The written report besides noted a half dozen point increment in independents; from 38% in the quaternary quarter of 2020 to 44% in the commencement quarter of 2021. It'due south the highest percentage since 2013, when 46% of survey respondents identified as independents. The rise correlates with the decline in Republican Political party identification, but equally in 2013, when the GOP saw a driblet in the popularity during the government shutdown over the Affordable Care Deed.

Party identification is asked on every survey Gallup conducts, co-ordinate to senior editor Jeff Jones, who as well authored the report.

"Information technology's something that nosotros recall is important to track to give a sense to the relevant forcefulness of the two parties at whatever 1 signal in time and how party preferences are responding to events," Jones told USA TODAY.

The poll's margin of sampling mistake was plus or minus 2 percentage points.

Events encourage party loyalty, Jones said. Gallup's latest measurements on political amalgamation were taken during President Joe Biden's inauguration – days later supporters of old President Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. six.

"I think we're seeing a like dynamic with Trump leaving office, again with the very low approval rating and (the excitement around) Biden coming into office," Jones said.

Trump ended his presidency with a 29% chore approval rating – his lowest ever while in office, USA TODAY earlier reported.

The passing of the COVID-xix relief parcel in March, a pass up in new infections and deaths from the coronavirus and the push button for mass vaccinations preceded a rising in affinity for the Autonomous Party, according to Gallup.

Fewer people are dying from COVID-nineteen thanks to vaccination efforts targeting vulnerable populations. But the U.S. continues to study loftier levels of cases.

Past jumps in party affiliations

The crash-land in Democratic amalgamation following Biden's inauguration mirrors that of one-time President Barack Obama's first term, Jones said.

"That was really the high point that we've seen; kind of the 2006-2009 period, when actually the majority of Americans either identified as Democrats outright or were independents but they leaned toward the political party," he said. "Our data on this only goes dorsum to the '90s, merely information technology's pretty much the only time we consistently had ane political party with the bulk of Americans on their side."

Republican advantages, though rarer and more short-lived, followed the Gulf War in 1991 – when George H.W. Bush was in office – and the nine/11 terrorist attacks during President George W. Bush's term, according to Gallup. More people also reported GOP amalgamation after the 1994, 2010 and 2014 midterm elections.

Whether the Republican Party can regain reward during the 2022 midterm elections may rely on the successes of the Biden administration, according to Jones.

"A lot of it is going to depend on how things go over the course of the year. If things go improve with the coronavirus and the economy bounces back and a lot of people look Biden can keep relatively strong approval ratings, so that volition exist amend for the Democrats," Jones said. "But if things start to go worse – unemployment goes upward or coronavirus gets worse – and then his blessing is going to get down. It'south going to make things a lot better for the Republican Political party for the midterm adjacent year."