Trends in Political Values and Core Attitudes: 1987-2007

March 22, 2007
Political Landscape More Favorable To Democrats

Trends in Political Values and Core Attitudes: 1987-2007

Even more striking than the changes in some core political and social
values is the dramatic shift in party identification that has occurred
during the past five years. In 2002, the country was equally divided
along partisan lines: 43% identified with the Republican Party or
leaned to the GOP, while an identical proportion said they were
Democrats. Today, half of the public (50%) either identifies as a
Democrat or says they lean to the Democratic Party, compared with 35%
who align with the GOP.

Yet the Democrats' growing advantage in party identification is
tempered by the fact that the Democratic Party's overall standing with
the public is no better than it was when President Bush was first
inaugurated in 2001. Instead, it is the Republican Party that has
rapidly lost public support, particularly among political independents.
Faced with an unpopular president who is waging an increasingly
unpopular war, the proportion of Americans who hold a favorable view of
the Republican Party stands at 41%, down 15 points since January 2001.
But during that same period, the proportion expressing a positive view
of Democrats has declined by six points, to 54%.