About partisan affiliation measures in Pew Research Center data<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
This fact sheet shows trends in partisan identification among U.S. adults using data from Pew Research Center\u2019s National Public Opinion Reference Survey (NPORS). The most recent NPORS was conducted from Jan. 30 to June 18, 2026, among 5,511 U.S. adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We field NPORS to produce benchmark estimates for several topics, including Americans\u2019 political and religious affiliations. The accompanying NPORS fact sheet<\/a> provides additional detail about its methodology, including the questionnaires and links to the datasets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We also periodically publish reports that analyze partisan affiliation trends in more depth (including longer-term trends and additional subgroup analysis), based on data from Pew Research Center\u2019s American Trends Panel<\/a> and historical trends from Center telephone surveys. The most recent of these reports \u2013 focused on partisanship among registered voters \u2013 was published in spring 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Democrats have a narrow advantage over Republicans in partisan affiliation among U.S. adults: 47% identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party, and 43% identify with or lean toward the Republican Party<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Democratic Party\u2019s modest edge is similar to where it was in 2020, the last year of President Donald Trump\u2019s first term. But this is a shift from the last few years (from 2022-2025 the public was about evenly split).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Democratic Party\u2019s advantage is primarily due to an edge among \u201cleaners\u201d \u2013 people who do not identify as partisans, but do express a leaning toward one of the two parties:<\/p>\n\n\n\n While a majority of Americans consider themselves to be a partisan \u2013 either a Republican (28%) or a Democrat (29%) \u2013 44% of adults say they are independents or \u201csomething else.\u201d Most of those who do not identify with a party say they lean toward<\/em> one of the two parties, with 15% of all adults leaning Republican and 19% leaning Democratic. These leaners\u2019 political views and behaviors<\/a> tend to align much more closely with those of the partisans they lean toward than with those of independents who lean toward the other party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Throughout this fact sheet, references to Republicans and Democrats include those who lean toward that party.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\nPolitical party affiliation, 2020-26<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Why leaners are included with partisans<\/summary>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Chart\"](\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/07\/political_party_affiliation_among_us_adults_2020-26-331662-1784053646.png\")
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t