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About half of all Americans believe both major political parties are in need of more moderate candidates, and they are just as likely to view the Democratic party as extreme as they are the Republican party, according to a new survey.
The LX News/More in Common/YouGov poll found large chunks of independent voters — and young Americans — increasingly turned off by the two major parties, with many naming polarization as a factor in why they may not vote this fall.
The poll also found that while 60% of U.S. adults say they will definitely vote in this fall’s midterm elections, the rate was significantly lower for adults under 40, those without a college degree, and voters of color — demographics that were also the least likely to say they were registered to one of the two major political parties.
“People are very fed up and they don't see a ton of moderation happening in either party,” said Dan Vallone, U.S. director for nonpartisan nonprofit More in Common. “We describe it as the exhausted majority... who actually want to see more moderation in politics.
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“For a lot of Americans out there, the two parties are actually much more similar than they are different when it comes to extremity versus moderation.”
America Sees Both Democrats & Republicans as Similarly Extreme
President Biden has called “MAGA Republicans” too extreme for America. Republicans have said the same about the Democratic party.
But the LX News/More in Common/YouGov poll found a plurality of independent voters believed the Democratic party (54%) and the Republican party (49%) both needed more moderates.
The survey also found:
- Democrats were virtually split on whether their own party needed more moderates (38% yes; 42% no), while Republicans were significantly less likely to believe the GOP needed more moderates (30% yes; 51% no)
- Hispanic citizens who were not registered to a party were significantly more likely to say the Democratic party needed more moderates (net +39%), compared to Republicans (net +11%)
- Adults under 40 are increasingly likely to distance themselves from the major parties
Why Some Groups Aren’t Planning to Vote This Fall
Respondents who said they would “definitely” vote this fall were much more likely to be from the Silent Generation (87%), the Baby Boomer generation (80%) or Generation X (62%) than from the Millennial generation (48%) or Generation Z (26%).
But apathy doesn’t appear to be the leading cause for the lack of youth engagement. Instead, the top reason young adults gave for not planning to vote this fall was "lacking knowledge on the candidates and issues."
Researchers have found young adults are far less likely to hear from candidates and campaigns than older voters, which can become a self-fulfilling prophecy on turnout.
"If you're out there trying to get young Americans to the polls in the midterms, we really need to equip them with knowledge, resources, and with the time and space to go and participate and feel like they know enough," Vallone said. "There's a lot of Americans out there who could potentially be persuaded to engage this fall."
Left-leaning respondents who said they may not vote this fall also listed candidate familiarity as their top reason for likely sitting out the midterms.
The poll also found:
- Generation Z was more likely than any other generation to say they may not vote because they don’t have time to vote, or the knowledge of how/where to vote
- White Americans (68%) were much more likely to say they will definitely vote this fall, compared to Black Americans (45%) or other American minorities (49%)
- Americans without a college degree (56%) were less likely to say they will definitely vote, compared to those with a four-year degree (71%) or those with a postgraduate degree (77%)
Young Americans Don’t See Voting as the Only Way to Influence Politics
Most adults see voting as an effective way to influence politics, but Generation Z adults and Millennials are more likely than older generations to also see protesting and social media as effective tools for change.
While most generations considered protesting one of the least effective ways to influence politics, young Americans — Generation Z, in particular — considered it one of the most effective methods, second to only casting a ballot.
“Participating in politics is inherently social,” Vallone said. “We see that in Gen Z saying protests and social media, which are intrinsically social activities, are ways that they want to be influencing politics.”
The poll also found:
- 65% of Gen Z considered protesting an effective way to influence politics, compared to 52% of Millennials, 44% of Generation X and 44% of Baby Boomers
- 53% of Gen Z considered social media an effective tool to influence politics, compared to 43% of Millennials, 42% of Generation X and 40% of Baby Boomers
- A majority of all generations believed it to be effective to support or boycott companies that contribute to specific politicians, including 58% of Generation Z, 51% of Millennials, 53% of Generation X and 54% of Baby Boomers
About the Survey:
The LX News/More in Common/YouGov poll surveyed 2,000 U.S. adults between Sept. 27 and Oct 2. The overall margin of error is 2%, with higher margins for smaller demographic splits.
More in Common is a nonpartisan nonprofit that works on both short- and longer-term initiatives to address the underlying drivers of fracturing and polarization, and build more united, resilient and inclusive societies.
YouGov is an international research data and analytics group headquartered in London.
LX News is a national broadcast and streaming network, part of the NBCUniversal family, aiming to engage audiences with an innovative storytelling approach to news that is personal, inspiring and empowering to the viewer.
Noah Pransky is LX News' National Political Editor, covering Washington and state politics, with a special focus on young voters. His political and investigative work has been honored with national Murrow, Polk, duPont and Cronkite awards, and you can contact him confidentially at noah.pransky@nbcuni.com, or on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
