Gallup Poll Shows Both Major Parties Remain Unpopular in U.S.

image
Published: 12 Nov, 2014
2 min read

On Wednesday, Gallup published a survey that shows the Democratic Party's favorability dropping 6 percentage points in just the last week. The report reveals that this is a record low for the Democrats and that the Republican Party's favorability "remains steady at 42%."

Arguably the most notable trend, however, is the fact while one party's favorability has dropped, neither party is making significant gains with the American people -- something Gallup mentions briefly in its report.

"Neither party can say it is making significant progress in improving its image among the U.S. population, but undoubtedly the 2014 elections augmented the GOP's ability to shape the agenda in Washington and in state capitals across the country," Gallup's Andrew Dugan writes.

party-favorability

In fact, the last time either party polled over 50 percent was in December 2012, when the Democrats' favorability was at 51 percent while the Republican Party was at 43 percent. Whether one puts much stock in these types of public opinion polls or not, a correlation can be drawn between low party favorability and the dismal national voter turnout in the 2014 midterm elections.

People don't want to vote for candidates of parties they don't like, but in most cases it is the only option that is offered to them. Until the electoral system is reformed in most states, change is not likely to come -- both in terms of elections and the hyper-partisan environment on Capitol Hill. This may have created a feeling of apathy for some, but a better word to describe most voters is 'disenchantment.'

Republican commentators and consultants can rejoice at the findings of this poll and go on Fox News or another cable news station and say this is evidence that Americans are rejecting the policies of the Democratic Party. The truth is, however, that the American people are not rejecting policies as much as they are a lack of adequate representation from politicians in both major parties.

Photo Credit: Mykhaylo Palinchak / shutterstock.com

You Might Also Like

Trump sitting in the oval office with a piece of paper with a cannabis leaf on his desk.
Is Trump About to Outflank Democrats on Cannabis? Progressives Sound the Alarm
As President Donald Trump signals renewed interest in reclassifying cannabis from a Schedule I drug to Schedule III, a policy goal long championed by liberals and libertarians, the reaction among some partisan progressive advocates is not celebration, but concern....
08 Dec, 2025
-
5 min read
Malibu, California.
From the Palisades to Simi Valley, Independent Voters Poised to Decide the Fight to Replace Jacqui Irwin
The coastline that defines California’s mythology begins here. From Malibu’s winding cliffs to the leafy streets of Brentwood and Bel Air, through Topanga Canyon and into the valleys of Calabasas, Agoura Hills, and Thousand Oaks, the 42nd Assembly District holds some of the most photographed, most coveted, and most challenged terrain in the state. ...
10 Dec, 2025
-
6 min read
Ranked choice voting
Ranked Choice for Every Voter? New Bill Would Transform Every Congressional Election by 2030
As voters brace for what is expected to be a chaotic and divisive midterm election cycle, U.S. Representatives Jamie Raskin (Md.), Don Beyer (Va.), and U.S. Senator Peter Welch (Vt.) have re-introduced legislation that would require ranked choice voting (RCV) for all congressional primaries and general elections beginning in 2030....
10 Dec, 2025
-
3 min read