http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/228997-poll-record-numbers-identify-as-liberalJanuary 09, 2015, 07:32 am
Poll: Record numbers identify as 'liberal'
By Peter Sullivan
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The percentage of Americans who identify as "liberal" has reached a record high of 24 percent, according to Gallup polling.
The results of surveys released Friday show that last year had the highest percentage of self-described liberals since Gallup began polling the question in 1992.
The results come amid a resurgence in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, exemplified by figures such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), whom liberal groups are urging to run for president.
The percentage of liberals has risen steadily since 1992, when 17 percent identified as such. The percentage rose one point last year, the third straight year that it has done so.
Still, conservatives and moderates continue to outnumber liberals. While unchanged from the previous year, 38 percent identify as conservative, and 34 percent identify as moderate.
The conservative label is still much more accepted in the Republican Party than the liberal one is in the Democratic Party. The polling finds that 44 percent of Democrats identify as liberal, again a record high,
but that 70 percent of Republicans identify as conservative. The percentage of Republican moderates is down slightly from its peak in 2012, at 73 percent. It has still for the most part risen steadily over the past decade, up from 65 percent in 2005.
