ELVIS
01-09-2015, 06:38 PM
The Washington Times
Republican, Democrat — and Maverick? We already know that Americans are weary of Congress, the White House, gridlock and government. Now that ire has inspired voter defections: The number of self-described ‘independents” is at a record high level says substantive new Gallup research. “An average 43 percent of Americans identified politically as independents in 2014,” says analyst Jeffrey M. Jones, who also reports the number is the highest since the pollster began tracking the phenomenon in 1988.
And the fate of donkey and elephant: 30 percent of the respondents are now Democrats, 26 percent are Republicans; the findings are based on 15 polls of 16,500 people conducted throughout 2014.
“Dissatisfaction with government has emerged as one of the most important problems facing the country, according to Americans. This is likely due to the partisan gridlock that has come from divided party control of the federal government. Trust in the government to handle problems more generally is the lowest Gallup has measured to date, and Americans’ favorable ratings of both parties are at or near historical lows,” Mr. Jones explains.
Read more... (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jan/8/inside-the-beltway-independents-rule-demographics/#ixzz3ON1Vor76)
Republican, Democrat — and Maverick? We already know that Americans are weary of Congress, the White House, gridlock and government. Now that ire has inspired voter defections: The number of self-described ‘independents” is at a record high level says substantive new Gallup research. “An average 43 percent of Americans identified politically as independents in 2014,” says analyst Jeffrey M. Jones, who also reports the number is the highest since the pollster began tracking the phenomenon in 1988.
And the fate of donkey and elephant: 30 percent of the respondents are now Democrats, 26 percent are Republicans; the findings are based on 15 polls of 16,500 people conducted throughout 2014.
“Dissatisfaction with government has emerged as one of the most important problems facing the country, according to Americans. This is likely due to the partisan gridlock that has come from divided party control of the federal government. Trust in the government to handle problems more generally is the lowest Gallup has measured to date, and Americans’ favorable ratings of both parties are at or near historical lows,” Mr. Jones explains.
Read more... (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jan/8/inside-the-beltway-independents-rule-demographics/#ixzz3ON1Vor76)