How Do I Change My Political Party Affiliation

Survey Report

Democrats agree advantages in party identification among blacks, Asians, Hispanics, well-educated adults and Millennials. Republicans have leads among whites – especially white men, those with less education and evangelical Protestants – as well equally members of the Silent Generation.

A new assay of long-term trends in party affiliation amidst the public provides a detailed portrait of where the parties stand up amongst various groups in the population. It draws on more than 25,000 interviews conducted by the Pew Inquiry Center in 2014, which allows examination of partisan affiliation across even relatively small racial, ethnic, educational and income subgroups. (Explore detailed tables for 2014 here.)

The share of independents in the public, which long agone surpassed the percentages of either Democrats or Republicans, continues to increment. Based on 2014 information, 39% identify equally independents, 32% as Democrats and 23% as Republicans. This is the highest per centum of independents in more than 75 years of public opinion polling. (For a timeline of political party affiliation amidst the public since 1939, see this interactive feature.)

When the partisan leanings of independents are taken into account, 48% either place every bit Democrats or lean Democratic; 39% identify as Republicans or lean Republican. The gap in leaned party affiliation has held adequately steady since 2009, when Democrats held a 13-point advantage (l% to 37%).

This report examines partisan amalgamation amid all adults, providing an in-depth look at subgroups of the public and tracking trends over fourth dimension. To be sure, party identification besides often differs by level of political engagement. For example, the balance of leaned partisan identification among those who say they are registered to vote (72% of the public) is more than Republican than amongst the overall public: 48% of registered voters identify as Democrats or lean Democratic compared with 43% who identify with the GOP or lean Republican. Among the general public, Democrats accept a wider lead in leaned party identification (48% to 39%). Narrowing the electorate to those most probable to vote in 2014, 47% affiliated with the Autonomous Political party or leaned Autonomous while 46% identified every bit Republicans or leaned toward the GOP, based on Pew Inquiry Center midterm polling.

Only with the 2016 presidential election more than 18 months abroad, this report is intended to give a broad perspective on party identification. The demographic patterns among the general public seen throughout this report are mirrored among registered voters. For example, amid the general public there is an eight-percentage point gap in the proportion of men and women who identify with or lean to the Democratic Party (44% vs. 52%); among registered voters that gap is nearly identical (43% vs. 52%). Every bit the presidential election grows closer, we will update this 2012 report on trends in partisan affiliation amid registered voters.

A closer wait at …

Race and ethnicity. Republicans hold a 49%-forty% lead over the Democrats in leaned political party identification among whites. The GOP's advantage widens to 21 points among white men who have non completed higher (54%-33%) and white southerners (55%-34%). The Democrats agree an 80%-11% advantage amid blacks, atomic number 82 by shut to 3-to-one among Asian Americans (65%-23%) and by more than than two-to-one among Hispanics (56%-26%).

Gender. Women lean Democratic by 52%-36%; men are evenly divided (44% identify as Democrats or lean Democratic; 43% affiliate with or lean toward the GOP). Gender differences are evident in virtually all subgroups: For instance, Republicans atomic number 82 among married men (51%-38%), while married women are evenly divided (44% Republican, 44% Democratic). Democrats concord a substantial advantage among all single adults, only their lead in leaned partisan identification is greater among unmarried women (57%-29%) than among single men (51%-34%).

Education. Democrats atomic number 82 past 22 points (57%-35%) in leaned party identification amidst adults with post-graduate degrees. The Democrats' edge is narrower amongst those with college degrees or some mail service-graduate experience (49%-42%), and those with less education (47%-39%). Across all educational categories, women are more than likely than men to chapter with the Democratic Party or lean Democratic. The Democrats' reward is 35 points (64%-29%) among women with post-graduate degrees, merely only viii points (fifty%-42%) among mail service-grad men.

Generations. Millennials proceed to be the most Democratic age cohort; 51% identify every bit Democrats or lean Democratic, compared with 35% who place with the GOP or lean Republican. At that place are merely slight differences in partisan amalgamation betwixt older and younger millennials. Republicans have a four-indicate pb among the Silent Generation (47%-43%), the nigh Republican age accomplice.

Religion. Republicans atomic number 82 in leaned party identification by 48 points amidst Mormons and 46 points among white evangelical Protestants. Younger white evangelicals (those under age 35) are about every bit likely older white evangelicals to identify as Republicans or lean Republican. Adults who have no religious amalgamation lean Democratic by a wide margins (36 points). Jews lean Democratic by roughly two-to-one (61% to 31%). The rest of leaned partisan affiliation among white Catholics and white mainline Protestants closely resembles that of all whites.

Party Affiliation 1992-2014

The biggest change in partisan amalgamation in recent years is the growing share of Americans who pass up to affiliate with either party: 39% call themselves independents, 32% identify as Democrats and 23% equally Republicans, based on aggregated data from 2014.

The ascension in the share of independents has been particularly dramatic over the past decade: In 2004, 33% of Americans identified as Democrats, 30% as independents and 29% every bit Republicans. Since so, the percentage of independents has increased ix points while Republican affiliation has fallen 6 points. Autonomous affiliation has shown less modify over this period; it rose to 35% in 2008, fell to 32% in 2011 and has changed little since then (currently 32%).

Most of those who identify as independents lean toward a political party. And in many respects, partisan leaners have attitudes that are similar to those of partisans – they just prefer not to identify with a party. (Encounter this appendix to our 2014 polarization report for an explainer on partisan "leaners.")

The balance of leaned partisan affiliation has changed piddling in contempo years: 48% identify with the Democratic Party or lean Democratic, while 39% identify equally Republicans or lean toward the GOP. Democrats have led in leaned party identification among the public for near of the past two decades.

Amid both men and women, increasing percentages depict themselves as independents. Men, however, keep to be more likely than women to identify every bit independents (45% vs. 35% in 2014).

When partisan leanings are taken into account, men are divided (44% Democratic, 43% Republican). That is little changed from recent years, but in 2009, 45% of men affiliated with the Autonomous Party or leaned Autonomous, while xl% identified every bit Republican or leaned toward the GOP.

Since 1990, women accept been consistently more likely than men to identify every bit Democrats or lean Democratic. Democrats concur a 16-betoken advantage in leaned party identification among women (52%-36%, based on 2014 information).

Political party ID by Race, Teaching

There continue to be stark divisions in partisan leaning by race and ethnicity: Fully 64% of blacks place every bit Democrats, compared with 25% of whites. Whites are far more likely than blacks to describe themselves as independents (40% vs. 26%) or Republicans (xxx% vs. 5%).

Every bit is the case with whites, Hispanics are more than likely to draw themselves as independents (44%) than Democrats (34%) or Republicans (13%). More than twice as many Hispanics either affiliate with the Autonomous Party or lean Democratic than identify as Republicans or lean toward the GOP (56% vs. 26%), based on interviews conducted in English and Spanish in 2014.

Party identification among Asian Americans has shown little change in recent years. Well-nigh one-half of Asian-Americans (46%) are political independents, 37% identify every bit Democrats while just 11% affiliate with the GOP. When the partisan leanings of independents are included, 65% of Asian Americans place as Democrats or lean Autonomous compared with just 23% who place equally Republicans or lean Republican. This data is based on interviews conducted in English.

Differences in partisan identification across educational categories have remained adequately stable in recent years, with one exception: Highly-educated people increasingly place with or lean toward the Democratic Political party.

About a 3rd (34%) of those with a higher degree or more educational activity place as Democrats, compared with 24% who identify as Republicans; 39% are independents. In 1992, Republicans held a seven-signal atomic number 82 amidst those with at to the lowest degree a college degree (34% to 27%), while 37% were independents.

Democrats now hold a 12-bespeak lead (52% to twoscore%) in leaned party identification among those with at least a higher degree, up from just a four-signal difference as recently as 2010 (48% to 44%). There has been less modify since 2010 in the partisan leanings of those with less education.

Currently, those who have attended college just accept not received a caste lean Democratic 47% to 42%; Democrats hold a 10-indicate lead in leaned party identification amid those with no more than than a high school pedagogy (47% to 37%).

The Democrats' wide lead in partisan identification among highly-educated adults is largely the result of a growing reward among those with any mail-graduate experience. A majority (56%) of those who have attended graduate school identify with the Democratic Party or lean Democratic, compared with 36% who align with or lean toward the GOP.

Among those who have received a higher degree simply have no mail service-graduate experience, 48% identify every bit Democrats or lean Democratic, while 43% affiliate with the GOP or lean Republican.

Political party ID by Generation

Millennials remain the most Democratic historic period cohort: 51% of Millennials (ages 18-34) place as Democrats or lean Autonomous, compared with 35% who identify as Republican or lean Republican. This is little changed in contempo years; in 2008, Millennials leaned Democratic by a wider margin (55% to 30%). (For more than on Millennials' political attitudes, see "Millennials in Adulthood," March vii, 2014.)

The Democrats' advantage in leaned political party identification narrows among Generation Xers (49% to 38%) and Baby Boomers (47% to 41%). And among the Silent Generation, Republicans agree a iv-signal lead in leaned party affiliation (47%-43%).

In 1992, the Silent Generation leaned Democratic by a broad margin: 52% affiliated with the Democratic Party or leaned Democratic while 38% aligned with or leaned toward the GOP.

The Democratic leanings of the Millennials are associated with the greater racial and ethnic multifariousness among this generation. More than than four-in-x Millennials (44%) are non-white, past far the highest percentage of whatever historic period cohort.

Among white Millennials, about as many identify as Republican or lean Republican (45%) as affiliate with the Democratic Party or lean Democratic (43%). Older generations of whites lean Republican by virtually 10 points or more. Amid non-whites, all four generations lean Autonomous by wide margins, including past 61% to 23% amidst non-white Millennials.

Religion and Party Identification

Since 1992, the share of white evangelical Protestants who align with the GOP has never been higher. About two-thirds (68%) of white evangelicals either place as Republicans or lean Republican, while just 22% chapter with the Democratic Party or lean Democratic. Since 2007, the pct of white evangelical Protestants who lean Republican has increased 10 points, while the share who lean Autonomous has declined nine points.

The partisan leanings of white mainline Protestants mirror those of all whites: 48% affiliate with (or lean toward) the GOP, while 40% identify as Democrats or lean Democratic. Similarly, black Protestants – like blacks generally – overwhelmingly lean Autonomous; 82% place as Democrats or lean Autonomous compared with but 11% who align with the GOP or lean Republican.

Party amalgamation among all Catholics is similar to that of the public: 37% depict themselves equally independents, 33% equally Democrats and 24% as Republicans. About half of Catholics (48%) affiliate with the Autonomous Political party or lean Democratic while forty% place as Republicans or lean toward the GOP.

White Catholics lean Republican by most the same margin as all whites (50% to 41%). Hispanic Catholics lean Democratic past more than than two-to-ane (58% to 25%). This is piffling different from the balance of leaned party identification among all Hispanics (56% Democrat vs. 26% Republican).

Nearly one-half of Mormons (49%) identify equally Republicans, compared with just 12% who identify as Democrats; 35% describe themselves as independents. Fully seventy% of Mormons identify as Republicans or lean Republican; fewer than a quarter (22%) lean Democratic.

Jews proceed to mostly align with the Autonomous Party. Nearly twice as many Jews identify as Democrats or lean Autonomous (61%) than place as Republicans or lean Republican (31%).

People with no religious affiliation increasingly lean toward the Autonomous Party. Currently, 61% of those who practise not identify with any religion lean Democratic – the highest level in more two decades of Pew Research Middle surveys. Just 25% of the religiously unaffiliated identify as Republicans or lean Republican.