<br><div><aside class="gnt_em gnt_em__fp gnt_em_vp__tp gnt_em__el" aria-label="Video - Congress OKs $1.9T virus relief in win for Biden"/><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">More Americans identify as Democrats than Republicans by a margin that hasn't been seen in a decade, according to a report released by Gallup on Wednesday.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">An average of 49% of adults age 18 and older reported Democratic Party affiliation or said they are independent with Democratic leanings throughout the first quarter of 2021, <a target="_blank" href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/343976/quarterly-gap-party-affiliation-largest-2012.aspx" rel="noopener" data-t-l="|inline|intext|n/a" class="gnt_ar_b_a">the pollster reported</a>. The survey was conducted by phone from January-March. </p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">In comparison, 40% of adults identified as Republican or Republican-leaning. The 9% difference is the Democrats' largest advantage since the fourth quarter of 2012, according to the report.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">The remaining 11% of respondents were political independents with no partisan leanings.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">Democrats have typically held a 4 to 6 point advantage over Republicans. Shortly before the first quarter of the year, the gap in affiliation was virtually nonexistent before Democrats' advantage widened by 9%.</p><aside aria-label="advertisement" class="gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al"/><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">The report also noted a 6% increase in independents; from 38% in the fourth quarter of 2020 to 44% in the first quarter of 2021. It's the highest percentage since 2013, when 46% of survey respondents identified as independents. The rise correlates with the decline in Republican Party identification, just as in 2013, when the GOP saw a drop in the popularity during the government shutdown over the Affordable Care Act. </p><aside aria-label="advertisement" class="gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al"/><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">Party identification is asked on every survey Gallup conducts, according to senior editor Jeff Jones, who also authored the report.</p><p class="gnt_ar_b_p">"It's something that we think is...</p></div> <style> .wrapper { text-align: center; } </style> <div class="wrapper"> <a class="button" href ="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/04/07/gallup-survey-shows-largest-increase-democratic-party-affiliation-decade/7114860002/">Read more <span>➤</span></a> </div>
