 The Gallup polling organization has released a survey that discovered an increase in the number of Americans that identify themselves as conservative. This increase was first identified among Americans last June, but has continued throughout the year. The final year-end political ideology figures confirm Gallup's initial reporting: conservatives (40 percent) outnumbered both moderates (36 percent) and liberals (21 percent) across the nation in 2009.
The percentage of Americans calling themselves either conservative or liberal has increased over the last decade, while the percentage of moderates has declined. According to the Gallup poll, "Since 1992, there have been only two other years -- 2003 and 2004 -- in which the average percentage of conservatives nationwide outnumbered moderates, and in both cases, it was by two percentage points (in contrast to the current four points)."
"The proportion of independents calling themselves "moderate" held relatively steady in the mid-40s over the last decade, while the proportion of Republican and Democratic moderates dwindled." The quick three-point increase between 2008 and 2009 in the percentage of Americans calling themselves conservative apparently has to do with independents - an increase from 30 percent to 35 percent in the percentage of political independents adopting the label. Over the same period, there was only a slight increase in professed conservatism among Republicans (from 70 percent to 71 percent) and no change among Democrats (at 21 percent).
These trends will be important as the nation moves towards the mid-term elections this fall and as Congress considers legislation on health care and the possibility of a second stimulus package.
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