Poll: Highest number of Americans identifying as Democrats since 2012

More American adults identify as Democrats than Republicans, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday.

Why is this important: “The nine percentage point Democratic advantage is the largest Gallup has measured since the fourth quarter of 2012, “when former President Obama was reelected, according to a Gallup statement.

In numbers: 49% of the 3,960 people aged 18 and over surveyed from January to March identified with the Democratic Party or said they were independents who lean towards the Democratic Party.

• 40% identified as Republicans or Skinny Republicans.
• 11% said they were independents with no partisan tendency.

The context: Gallup noted in its statement that the latest numbers were measured as deaths and COVID-19 infections declined from their January peak and President Biden was inaugurated “despite attempts by rioters on January 6 to disrupt the certification of his victory in the 2020 election. “

For memory: Democrats enjoyed double-digit advantages “for most of 2006 until early 2009” – a period encompassing the end of former President George W. Bush’s administration and the election of Obama .

• “The party also had double-digit advantages when Bill Clinton was elected president in late 1992 and early 1993,” Gallup noted.
• The margin of sampling error for the last survey was plus or minus 2 percentage points.