Less than half of surveyed voters were likely (very and somewhat likely combined) to support the idea of a third party formed by Centrist Democrats and Republicans, while thirty percent thought they were unlikely to support such a party, and almost a quarter (22%) were not sure.
The East (54% likely/21% unlikely) and West regions (52% likely/31% unlikely) were more likely to support a third party made up of centrists from the major two parties than the South (46% likely/30% unlikely) and Central/Great Lakes regions (42% likely/36% unlikely). Young voters aged 18-29 (60% likely/27% unlikely) were much more open to the idea of a third party, while older voters aged 65+ (33% likely/40% unlikely) were apathetic about it.
Men (55% agreed/30% disagreed) were also more likely to support a third party option, made-up of centrist Democrats and Republicans, than women (42% likely/30% unlikely). The idea was also more popular with Democrats (57% likely/26% unlikely) compared to Republicans (39% likely/38% unlikely) and Independents (48% likely/25% unlikely).
When it came to where people lived, the option of a third party made up of Democratic and Republican centrists, was something that was more favorable to voters in large (64% likely/21% unlikely) and medium size (52% likely/33% unlikely) cities than the suburbs (45% likely/29% unlikely), where voters were less likely to support members of the Republican and Democratic Parties forming a third party that sought a centrist agenda.
Support for a centrist third party was more likely among minorities-African Americans (54% likely/26% unlikely) and Hispanics (58% likely/20% unlikely) than White voters (45% likely/32% unlikely); upper income voters-$150K+ (67% likely/19% unlikely) versus lower income voters-<$25K (35% likely/28% unlikely), and among consumers, such as weekly Walmart Shoppers (54% likely/28% unlikely) and Weekly Amazon shoppers (64% likely/22% unlikely) compared to voters who never shop at Walmart (44%) and Amazon (46%).
While many Americans support the idea of a third party, even one made up of centrist Democrats and Republicans, the hurdles and backlash to forming such a party would hindrance any sane person from trying. The two-party duopoly in America is a dominant system, but maybe as we continue to fall down the rabbit hole of polarization, more people will realize a third choice (another pill) is better than just the red pill or blue pill.
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Zogby Analytics Poll Methodology
US Likely Voters
5/26/21 - 5/27/21
Zogby Analytics conducted an online survey of 868 likely voters in the US.
Using internal and trusted interactive partner resources, thousands of adults were randomly invited to participate in this interactive survey. Each invitation is password coded and secure so that one respondent can only access the survey one time.
Using information based on census data, voter registration figures, CIA fact books and exit polls, we use complex weighting techniques to best represent the demographics of the population being surveyed. Weighted variables may include age, race, gender, region, party, education, and religion. The party breakdown for this survey is as follows: 37% Democrat, 35% Republican and 28% Independent/unaffiliated.
Based on a confidence interval of 95%, the margin of error for 868 is +/- 3.3 percentage points. This means that all other things being equal, the identical survey repeated will have results within the margin of error 95 times out of 100.
Subsets of the data have a larger margin of error than the whole data set. As a rule we do not rely on the validity of very small subsets of the data especially sets smaller than 50-75 respondents. At that subset we can make estimations based on the data, but in these cases the data is more qualitative than quantitative.
Additional factors can create error, such as question wording and question order.
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About Zogby Analytics:
Zogby Analytics is respected nationally and internationally for its opinion research capabilities. Since 1984, Zogby has empowered clients with powerful information and knowledge critical for making informed strategic decisions.
The firm conducts multi-phased opinion research engagements for banking and financial services institutions, insurance companies, hospitals and medical centers, retailers and developers, religious institutions, cultural organizations, colleges and universities, IT companies and Federal agencies. Zogby's dedication and commitment to excellence and accuracy are reflected in its state-of-the-art opinion research capabilities and objective analysis and consultation.