FILE-Youth activist Miracle Boyd (center with hand on chest) stands outside of a polling station with other activists after voting for the first time in the mayoral election on February 23, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Joshua Lott/The Washi …
Nearly half of Americans admit that they identify as political independents based on data from a recent Gallup poll.
The analytics and advisory company noted that 45% of people admitted they associated with the group in 2025, which eclipsed the 43% counted in 2014, 2023 and 2024. According to the poll, an equal share of Americans — 27% each — identified as either Democrats or Republicans.
To collect their data, Gallup conducted interviews with over 13,000 Americans in 2025 and asked respondents in their surveys whether they identify politically as a Republican, a Democrat or an independent.
What groups identify most as independents?
Dig deeper:
Gallup revealed that majorities of Gen Z adults and millennials identified as political independents, as did more than four in 10 Gen X adults in 2025. Additionally, about 33% or less of baby boomers and "silent generation" adults were politically independent.
Furthermore, the poll found that more political independents said they lean toward the Democratic Party than the Republican Party, with 45% of political independents breaking down into 20% Democratic leaners, 15% Republican leaners and 10% non-leaners last year.
Gallup noted that this represents a shift from 2024, representing a three-point drop in Republican leaners and a three-point increase in Democratic leaners.
Meanwhile, roughly 47% identified as Democrats or said they were independents who shifts toward the Democratic Party, compared to 42% of respondents who identified as Republicans or leaned Republican in 2025.
Poll respondents share their political stances
Big picture view:
Americans were not only asked about the political party they most identified and leaned towards, but Gallup also asked respondents in each survey to describe their political views using a scale ranging from very liberal to very conservative.
Last year, Americans described their views as "very conservative" or "conservative" (35%) than as "very liberal" or "liberal" (28%), with 33% identifying as "moderate," according to the poll.
Moreover, Gallup determined in their survey that more Americans have identified as liberal (up from 17% in 1992) and fewer as moderate (down from 43%), with conservative identification steadier.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by a Gallup poll, which is based on telephone interviews conducted by ReconMR in 2025, with a combined random sample of 13,454 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.