More Americans identify as political independents, a new poll shows
January 12, 2026
New polling from Gallup shows that Americans are increasingly identifying as political independents and rejecting the labels of the two major political parties. Just under half of U.S. adults now identify as independents, a rise that is driven by young adults. The poll also finds independents have steadily gravitated toward the Democrats over the past year when asked which party they lean toward, a move that is likely driven by independents’ unhappiness with President Donald Trump, rather than stronger positive feelings toward the Democrats.