In response to a growing partisan divide, civic engagement platform icitizen conducted a poll on how interested U.S. adults would be in a third party as a viable alternative to the two-party system. Highlights include:
- 70 percent of Americans believe the two major parties do not represent them well and a third party is necessary (16 percent say two parties do a good job of representing views; 14 percent unsure)
- 53 percent believe that including a third party in Congress so that no party had a majority would help lawmaking in the U.S. (21 percent obstruct lawmaking; 19 percent does not make a difference; 7 percent unsure)
- 58 percent are “likely” to consider voting for a third-party candidate for president in 2020 in lieu of Republican or Democratic candidates (34 percent less likely; 9 percent unsure)
Our director of polling stated, “Democrats (60 percent) and Independents/other/non-affiliated (76 percent) are among the voter blocs most likely to consider a third party candidate come 2020. Twenty-nine percent of Republicans would consider voting for a third-party candidate. Results suggest an overall majority of Americans, including Democrats and Republicans, are looking for more representation of Americans’ views and are likely to give a third party candidate a chance in 2020.”
Details on the takeaways, cross tabs, and methodology can be found here.
