Gallup: Conservatives Outnumber Moderates and Liberal

Gallup: Conservatives continue to outnumber moderates and liberals in the American populace in 2009, confirming a finding that Gallup first noted in June: 40% of Americans describe their political views as conservative, 36% as moderate, and 20% as liberal. . . .

The 2009 data are based on 16 separate Gallup surveys . . . Conservatives have been the dominant ideological group each quarter, with between 39% and 41% of Americans identifying themselves as either "very conservative" or "conservative." Between 35% and 37% of Americans call themselves "moderate," while the percentage calling themselves "very liberal" or "liberal" has consistently registered between 20% and 21% -- making liberals the smallest of the three groups. . . .

Changes among political independents appear to be the main reason the percentage of conservatives has increased nationally over the past year: the 35% of independents describing their views as conservative in 2009 is up from 29% in 2008. By contrast, among Republicans and Democrats, the percentage who are "conservative" has increased by one point each.

Americans Also Moving Right on Some Issues {based on annual change):
- Too much government regulation of business & industry: from 38% to 45%
- Labor unions have less influence in the country" from 32% to 42%
- Keep laws governing the sale of firearms the same or making them less strict: from 49% to 55%
- Americans favoring a decrease in immigration: from 39% to 50%
- Want government to "promote traditional values" verses no values: from 48% to 53%
- Consider themselves "pro-life" on abortion: from 44% to 51%
- Believe global warming problem is "exaggerated" in the news: from 35% to 41%

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