Poll: Conservatism was leading ideology in 2009
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More Americans consider themselves conservative, eclipsing even those who described themselves as moderate, according to the latest Gallup poll released this morning.
The change could help explain the growing rumblings on the right in the last year which saw town hall meetings become unexpected battlegrounds and tea bags move from a drink necessity to a protest symbol. It could also indicate an increased polarization as the country moves through the midterm election cycle this year.
According to the polling firm, which combined data from 21 separate polls it did in 2009, 40% identified themselves as conservative, about twice the 21% who said they were liberals.
For only the third time since 1992, conservatives outnumbered even those saying they were moderates. In 2009, 36% said they saw themselves as moderates, the largest gap between that group and conservatives than in either of the other years – 2003 and 2004 -- when conservatism was also the No. 1 ideology.
The numbers paint a portrait of an electorate in which the moderate middle is melting and the edges becoming more frayed. But whether those changes influence the existing party structure is unclear.
Some Republican leaders fear the growing influence of the tea bag protesters on the party, especially in such pivotal states as Florida, where a more conservative candidate is challenging a moderate GOP governor in the race for a Senate seat.
But the poll found that those who said they were Republicans experienced only a slight increase in their conservatism.
From 2008 to 2009, it was political independents who shifted to conservative while there was just a slight increase from 70% to 71% of those Republicans calling themselves conservative. Democrats remained stable, with 21% calling themselves conservative.
--Michael Muskal
