The ANES Guide to Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior

Party Identification 7-Point Scale 1952 -2016

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Data Table

  '52 '54 '56 '58 '60 '62 '64 '66 '68 '70 '72 '74 '76 '78 '80 '82 '84 '86 '88 '90 '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16
Strong Democrat 23
(392)		 23
(248)		 22
(364)		 28
(480)		 21
(389)		 24
(297)		 27
(417)		 18
(230)		 20
(311)		 20
(298)		 15
(397)		 18
(439)		 15
(422)		 15
(340)		 18
(286)		 20
(284)		 17
(379)		 18
(389)		 18
(355)		 20
(393)		 18
(446)		 15
(270)		 18
(314)		 19
(244)		 19
(345)		 17
(246)		 17
(197)		 ** 19
(432)		 ** 20
(1156)		 ** 21
(902)
Weak Democrat 26
(435)		 26
(288)		 24
(402)		 23
(405)		 26
(476)		 24
(300)		 25
(385)		 28
(354)		 26
(394)		 24
(357)		 25
(685)		 21
(516)		 25
(696)		 24
(546)		 23
(371)		 24
(335)		 20
(444)		 22
(473)		 18
(359)		 19
(376)		 17
(432)		 18
(329)		 19
(332)		 18
(232)		 15
(274)		 17
(250)		 16
(185)		 ** 15
(348)		 ** 15
(890)		 ** 14
(585)
Independent Democrat 10
(173)		 9
(97)		 7
(111)		 7
(125)		 6
(121)		 8
(93)		 9
(144)		 9
(115)		 10
(153)		 10
(156)		 11
(299)		 13
(331)		 12
(337)		 14
(328)		 11
(184)		 11
(155)		 11
(242)		 10
(226)		 12
(240)		 12
(245)		 14
(353)		 13
(239)		 14
(239)		 14
(173)		 15
(275)		 15
(227)		 17
(208)		 ** 17
(398)		 ** 12
(691)		 ** 11
(462)
Independent Independent 5
(83)		 8
(82)		 9
(155)		 8
(131)		 10
(188)		 8
(100)		 8
(121)		 12
(157)		 11
(163)		 13
(194)		 15
(400)		 18
(445)		 16
(447)		 16
(371)		 15
(243)		 13
(183)		 13
(280)		 14
(294)		 12
(243)		 12
(236)		 13
(315)		 11
(204)		 10
(170)		 12
(149)		 13
(237)		 7
(107)		 10
(118)		 ** 11
(261)		 ** 14
(839)		 ** 15
(622)
Independent Republican 8
(128)		 6
(68)		 9
(146)		 5
(94)		 7
(128)		 6
(80)		 6
(88)		 7
(90)		 9
(135)		 8
(117)		 10
(282)		 9
(214)		 10
(277)		 10
(217)		 10
(166)		 8
(112)		 12
(277)		 11
(234)		 13
(270)		 12
(233)		 12
(306)		 12
(207)		 12
(199)		 11
(135)		 13
(231)		 13
(188)		 12
(140)		 ** 12
(266)		 ** 12
(721)		 ** 11
(472)
Weak Republican 14
(237)		 15
(159)		 15
(250)		 17
(298)		 14
(263)		 17
(209)		 14
(210)		 15
(194)		 15
(226)		 15
(230)		 13
(354)		 14
(342)		 14
(400)		 13
(289)		 14
(225)		 14
(199)		 15
(329)		 15
(314)		 14
(280)		 15
(293)		 14
(346)		 15
(260)		 15
(255)		 16
(203)		 12
(207)		 16
(233)		 12
(148)		 ** 13
(290)		 ** 12
(731)		 ** 12
(501)
Strong Republican 14
(241)		 13
(146)		 16
(262)		 12
(204)		 16
(299)		 13
(158)		 11
(171)		 10
(123)		 10
(149)		 9
(138)		 10
(278)		 8
(205)		 9
(255)		 8
(178)		 8
(137)		 10
(135)		 12
(277)		 11
(227)		 14
(279)		 10
(189)		 11
(275)		 15
(271)		 12
(197)		 10
(131)		 12
(221)		 15
(214)		 17
(197)		 ** 13
(299)		 ** 15
(867)		 ** 16
(696)
N 1689 1088 1690 1737 1864 1237 1536 1263 1531 1490 2695 2492 2834 2269 1612 1403 2228 2157 2026 1965 2473 1780 1706 1267 1790 1465 1193 0 2294 0 5894 0 4240

Percentage Within Study Year
Table 2A.1.
Source: VCF0301 in the ANES Cumulative Data File dataset, weighted with VCF0009z
Link to see data by mode (2012, 2016)

Question Text:

"Generally speaking, do you usually think of yourself as a Republican, a Democrat, an Independent, or what?"
(IF REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT) "Would you call yourself a strong (REPUBLICAN/DEMOCRAT) or a not very strong (REPUBLICAN/DEMOCRAT)?"
(IF INDEPENDENT, OTHER [1966 and later: OR NO PREFERENCE]:) "Do you think of yourself as closer to the Republican or Democratic party?"

Note:

This summary for party identification has been revised in 2010 to conform, as much as possible, with the December, 2009 ANES memo on its construction. One result of the revision is the removal of the apolitical category.

2012 and 2016 data are for the combined (face-to-face and internet) sample.

In 2012 face-to-face administration, a response of 'Neither' to the followup question "Do you think of yourself as closer to the Republican or Democratic party?" was a volunteered response (not read aloud by the interviewer as an answer choice). For 2012 Internet respondents, however, the 'Neither' choice was present onscreen as a response option, and as a result more Internet than face-to-face Respondents became re-coded to Independent (middle category) in the 7-category summary.

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