Benchmark surveys show more Americans identify as Democrats than Republicans % of U.S. adults who usually think of themselves as a General Social Survey American National Election Studies
Gold-standard, nonpartisan surveys have found for decades that more U.S. adults identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party than the Republican Party – whether these surveys take place under GOP or Democratic presidential administrations. That is the finding of two of the highest-quality surveys that use nationally representative data collected through in-person interviews: the General Social Survey and the American National Election Studies. It’s also the result obtained by numerous other reputable surveys that poll Americans by telephone or online using randomly selected samples of adults, including those done by us here at Pew Research Center, as well as those done by Gallup, Fox News, Kaiser Family Foundation and The Associated Press-NORC. (The Census Bureau, which runs the nation’s most authoritative surveys, notably does not ask Americans about their partisan affiliation.)
Benchmark surveys show more Americans identify as Democrats than Republicans  | % of U.S. adults who usually think of themselves as a  | General Social Survey  | American National Election Studies  | Dem/Lean Dem  | 55  | 46  | 43  | 39  | 35  | 31  | 27  | Rep/Lean Rep  | 1972  | 1983  | 1994  | 2005  | 2018  | 1972  | 1983  | 1994  | 2005  | 2016  | Source: The General Social Survey (1972 -2018). nationa survey of U.S. adults ages 18 and older; and the American National Election  | Studies (1972 2016). a national Survey survey (1972 ofus -2018). citizens ages survey 18 and older.  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 