Americans who lean toward a major political party without identifying as a member are more likely to cite harm from the opposing party's policies than benefits from the party they favor, a new Pew Research Center survey finds. The pattern appears among people leaning both Republican and Democratic, though it does not establish why any individual votes or whether those policy judgments are accurate.
Among Republican-leaning independents, 56% said the Democratic Party's policies being harmful was a major reason for their lean, compared with 34% who cited the GOP's policies being good for the country. Among Democratic leaners, the corresponding shares were 64% and 27%. Respondents could name more than one major reason, so the figures are not parts of a single 100% total.
The finding distinguishes leaners from people who identify outright as Republicans or Democrats. Pew surveyed 9,750 U.S. adults from May 26 to June 1 and published its analysis Friday. It did not present New York or Finger Lakes estimates, so the national percentages should not be read as local opinion.
What party members say
Self-identified Republicans were nearly as likely to say their own party's policies are good for the country, at 72%, as to say Democrats' policies are harmful, at 73%. Among self-identified Democrats, 67% called their party's policies a major reason for their affiliation, while 75% pointed to harm from Republican policies.
The share of Democrats citing the other party's policies as harmful rose from 68% when Pew last asked the question in 2022 to 75% this year. Pew described most other responses among partisans as little changed over that period.
Other explanations for identifying with a party were less common. A majority of Republicans, 53%, and Democrats, 56%, said a major reason was that their party stands up for people like them. About half said they have a lot in common with others in their party: 48% of Republicans and 46% of Democrats.
Family and friends were a much smaller factor. Only 16% of Republicans and 18% of Democrats said a major reason for their party identity was that most friends and family belong to that party.
Why leaners keep their distance
About four in 10 leaners on each side said disagreement with their preferred party on important issues was a major reason they did not adopt its label. That share rose from 31% to 41% among Republican leaners and from 30% to 40% among Democratic leaners between 2022 and 2026.
Frustration with party leaders was another commonly cited reason: 40% among Republican leaners and 44% among Democratic leaners. The Democratic figure was 40% in 2022 and 28% in 2016; the Republican figure was little changed from 2022, Pew reported.
Leaners were less likely than full party identifiers to say the party stands up for people like them or that they have much in common with its members. That difference is consistent with their reluctance to claim a party label, though the poll does not prove one answer caused the other.
How the survey was conducted
Pew's methodology says respondents came from its nationally representative American Trends Panel, recruited through random sampling and weighted to population benchmarks. Most completed the survey online; 286 were interviewed by telephone. Interviews were available in English and Spanish.
The full-sample margin of sampling error is plus or minus 1.4 percentage points. The applicable subgroup margins are wider: 2.4 points for Republicans and Democrats, 3.5 for Republican leaners and 3.1 for Democratic leaners. Question wording and nonresponse can add uncertainty beyond sampling error. The results measure stated reasons for affiliation, not actual policy effects or election behavior.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.