A record high number of Americans now identify themselves as political independents, according to a recent Gallup poll.
The report shows that 41 percent of those sampled were politically independent, while the number identifying as Democrats was consistent with the results of the past four years at 31 percent. Republican identity took a hit as it reached a near record low of a quarter of those sampled.
“I think (the results) represent the fact that Americans are frustrated by a political process that appears to be dysfunctional at best and unfairly sensitive to the interests of the politically connected at worst,” Molly Andolina, a political science professor at DePaul, said.
According to Gallup, the rise in political independence is likely an outgrowth of Americans’ record or near-record negative views of the two major U.S. parties, Congress and their low trust in government in general.
Dissatisfaction was certainly understandable as dysfunction was constantly displayed over the past year on Capitol Hill. Democrats and Republicans fought over issues such as the budget, immigration and the Affordable Care Act, all culminating in a government shutdown last October.
“The partisan battles that have persisted for the last few years have been incredibly frustrating and as a result, the idea of identifying as a Democrat or as a Republican has lost its appeal for many Americans,” freshman Selena Wolfe, a Democrat, said.
The effect that the ever-increasing amount of independents will have on the 2014 mid-term elections remains to be seen. However, a drastic increase in alternatives outside the two parties will probably not be a result.
“This may have no implications at all, since the two parties are still the only viable choices,” Andolina said.”But it also might mean depressed turnout in the primary election. That usually results in more extreme candidates winning the party nominations.”
And while independents make up a higher share than ever, when the poll asked those people which way they leaned, 16 percent leaned Democratic while the same amount leaned Republican. adding those totals to the others, the breakdown becomes 47-41 in favor of Democrats. But the unwillingness by many to solidly commit to either side is noteworthy.
“When Americans think ‘Democrat,’ they are going to think of President Obama. And while I personally believe that Obama is a strong president, I would argue that the Democratic Party is struggling to resonate with certain Americans because many believe his presidency to have been flawed and ineffectual thus far,” Wolfe said.
On the flip side, many also associate the GOP with the gridlock that has engulfed Washington the past few years. And while many students on campus of every affiliation acknowledge a liberal tilt at DePaul, the use of party labels is not as frequent.
“I think that party labels are stupid,” freshman Sarah Wozniak, an independent who leans Republican, said. “I think it should be based off people’s beliefs, and I know that parties do back that up, but I still feel that just because somebody is a Democrat, they should not be like, ‘I am only voting for Democrats.'”
While the survey does not inspire enthusiasm within either party, experts on public opinion urge people not to dwell too much on one poll.
“A single survey does not a trend make, so we need to watch it over several months, and into the election cycle to see if it is long lasting or significant,” Andolina said.