{"id":52846,"date":"2007-10-31T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2007-10-31T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2007\/10\/31\/section-4-long-term-political-trends\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T03:48:59","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T08:48:59","slug":"section-4-long-term-political-trends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2007\/10\/31\/section-4-long-term-political-trends\/","title":{"rendered":"Section 4: Long-Term Political Trends"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"floatright\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.pewresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/legacy\/366-37.gif\" alt=\"\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier this year, the Pew Research Center for the People &amp; the Press reported that the Democratic Party had opened a wide advantage in party identification. (See &#8220;Political Landscape More Favorable to Democrats,&#8221; March 22, 2007.) A new analysis shows that the Democratic lead is virtually undiminished.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Based on nearly 20,000 interviews conducted between January and October of this year, half of Americans say they think of themselves as Democrats (33%) or as independents who lean toward the Democratic Party (17%). By comparison, just 36% identify as Republicans (25%) or as independents who lean to the GOP (11%).<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This 14-point advantage is the largest in nearly 20 years of surveys by the Pew Research Center for the People &amp; the Press. Just five years ago, in 2002, the balance of partisanship was even, with 43% identifying with or leaning toward each political party.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">George W. Bush&#8217;s historically low job approval ratings are undoubtedly a factor in these trends. In the current survey, the proportion of Americans who disapprove of his performance in office has reached a new high of 63%, more than twice as many as the number who approve (30%). In October 2003, a year ahead of the 2004 elections, 50% approved of Bush&#8217;s job performance while 42% disapproved.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"text-align: center\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.pewresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/legacy\/366-38.gif\" alt=\"\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bush&#8217;s low job approval ratings pose a unique problem for Republican candidates this year; no incumbent president has been this unpopular nationally in recent history.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"floatright\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.pewresearch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/legacy\/366-39.gif\" alt=\"\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The public has also been growing increasingly dissatisfied with the state of the nation. The share of Americans who offer a negative assessment of the way things are going in the country has risen from 56% to 66% over the past four years, while just 28% currently express satisfaction. While low, these satisfaction ratings are not unprecedented. In October of 1995, just 23% of Americans were satisfied with the state of the nation, and satisfaction levels stayed below 30% through the 1996 election cycle. Despite this sour public mood, Bill Clinton was able to win reelection handily, in part based on his strong job approval ratings throughout this period.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Earlier this year, the Pew Research Center for the People &amp; the Press reported that the Democratic Party had opened a wide advantage in party identification. (See &#8220;Political Landscape More Favorable to Democrats,&#8221; March 22, 2007.) A new analysis shows that the Democratic lead is virtually undiminished. Based on nearly 20,000 interviews conducted between January 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Year Ahead, Republicans Face Tough Political Terrain","slug":"a-year-ahead-republicans-face-tough-political-terrain","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2007\/10\/31\/a-year-ahead-republicans-face-tough-political-terrain\/","is_active":false},{"id":52824,"title":"Section 1: The Nomination Races","slug":"section-1-the-nomination-races","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2007\/10\/31\/section-1-the-nomination-races\/","is_active":false},{"id":52831,"title":"Section 2: The General Election","slug":"section-2-the-general-election","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/politics\/2007\/10\/31\/section-2-the-general-election\/","is_active":false},{"id":52838,"title":"Section 3: Views of the Issues and the 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