Fewer Americans self-identify as conservative since start of 2020, poll finds

‘The downward trajectory of President Trump’s job approval rating is likely contributing to Americans’ swing to the left’

Fewer Americans are identifying themselves as conservatives since the beginning of the year, according to a Gallup poll released Monday.

The poll found that just 34 per cent of Americans described their political ideology as conservative in May and June, a six per cent decline since January and February.

Gallup noted that the percentage recorded in February for the rate of conservatism was tied for the highest rate of conservatism they had recorded in the past six years.

“As the United States has been transformed in 2020 from an economically prosperous country to one crippled by high unemployment and a sharp drop in GDP, Americans’ perspective on politics has shifted,” the company wrote.

However, rates have steadily decreased over the last six months as the coronavirus pandemic has worsened, and conversely, rates of those identifying as liberal increased fairly steadily from 22 per cent to 26 per cent since January and February.

The number of American citizens who describe themselves as moderate has remained fairly steady.

“The downward trajectory of President Trump’s job approval rating, from a term high of 49 per cent in February to 38 per cent in June, is likely contributing to Americans’ swing to the left,” Gallup said.

The decline in those identifying as conservative was seen most among adults in upper-income households as well as among middle-aged adults and is also more prevalent among White and Hispanic Americans than Black Americans, according to the polling.

Americans in households with an income of $100,000 or higher dropped from 40 per cent to just 29 per cent, while just 34 per cent of Americans aged 35 to 54 identified as politically conservative in May and June compared to 44 per cent at the start of the year.

The analytics firm noted that percentages were quick to shift against the backdrop of economic and political context, which could significantly impact this year’s presidential election in November.

The poll measures Americans’ ideology by asking respondents to describe their overall political views as either very conservative, conservative, moderate, liberal or very liberal with a margin of error as two percentage points.

Survey results are based on combined interviews from three Gallup polls in May and June encompassing telephone interviews with a sample of 3,079 adults.