For many people, getting to know someone better often involves asking the question, “Are you Democrat or Republican?” It might not be the first thing you learn about someone, but the more you get to know them, the more likely their political views will come up.
For almost half the American voters, the answer nowadays is “neither”:
Americans are increasingly rejecting the two major political parties, according to new polling.
Just under half, 45%, of U.S. adults now identify as independents, a new Gallup survey found.
That's a substantial shift from 20 years ago, when closer to one-third of Americans said they didn't identify with the Democrats or Republicans.
The 45 percent number represents an all-time high. Meanwhile, among voters who do not identify as independent, 27 percent identify as Republicans, while 27 percent call themselves Democrats — an even split.
Who says our country isn’t divided? The upcoming midterms will be nothing if not interesting.
A record-high 45% of U.S. adults identified as political independents in 2025, surpassing the 43% measured in 2014, 2023 and 2024. pic.twitter.com/1vKF7J2RnE
— Gallup (@Gallup) January 12, 2026
Gallup notes that they’ve been conducting telephone polls since 1988, and although independents have always comprised the largest group, the number has been increasing dramatically in the last 15 years or so.
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Gallup broke down the numbers:
The recent increase in independent identification is partly attributable to younger generations of Americans (millennials and Generation X) continuing to identify as independents at relatively high rates as they have gotten older. In contrast, older generations of Americans have been less likely to identify as independents over time. Generation Z, like previous generations before them when they were young, identify disproportionately as political independents.
In 2025, majorities of Gen Z adults and millennials identified as political independents, as did more than four in 10 Gen X adults. One-third or less of baby boomers and Silent Generation adults were politically independent.
The word on the street is that more of the independents “lean” left than lean right, so many observers are claiming these results are a “win” for the Democrats.
Voters identifying as Independent keeps rising in this toxic political environment according to @Gallup.
— John Anzalone (@JohnAnzo) January 12, 2026
However, we are still a two-party country so when asked how voters "Lean" it breaks slightly for Dems
47% Dem
42% GOPhttps://t.co/AllHY0CupR pic.twitter.com/BAm9zbkqNN
I’m not so sure, however. Based on what I’m seeing “out in the field,” there are a whole lot of Democrats and left-leaning independents who are deeply unhappy with the direction of the party. How do I know this? I live in Los Angeles, and many of my friends and family are of the leftward bent. It’s fun to watch them squirm when they try to defend what the leftists are up to these days, with their protests over virtually everything, their psychotic devotion to “woke” and extreme gender politics, and their total lack of vision for trying to better the country. Even funnier is when they almost choke saying that there are some good things that Trump is doing. You can see it physically hurts them to admit it.
What’s clear, however, is that whichever party prevails in the midterms, they’re going to have to attract a whole lot of independents — and young people — to emerge victorious.
Things could certainly go either way, but as it stands, I like the GOP's chances.
Editor's Note: The Democrat Party has never been less popular as voters reject their extremist agenda.
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