Gallup: Twice As Many Conservatives As Liberals

Posted by Kyle Trygstad
Since 2008, the percentage of Americans identifying themselves as conservative has risen 5 percentage points to 42 percent, while the number of liberals has dropped 2 points to 20 percent, Gallup reports this morning. If that figure remains through the end of the year, "it would represent the highest annual percentage identifying as conservative in Gallup's history of measuring ideology with this wording, dating to 1992."

The number of moderates, conservatives and liberals remained fairly stable through the 1990s. In 2002, conservatives increased before dipping again after 2004. At that time, the number of liberals grew to 22 percent. Following 2008, liberals and conservatives again began moving in opposite directions.

Those who consider themselves independents increasingly view themselves as conservative. In 2008, 30 percent of independents called themselves conservative; so far in 2010, that number is 36 percent.