Conservatives continued to outnumber moderates and liberals in the U.S. population in 2014, as they have since 2009. However, their 14-percentage-point edge over liberals last year, 38% vs. 24%, is the smallest in Gallup's trends since 1992. The percentage of U.S. adults identifying themselves as politically conservative in 2014 was unchanged from 2013, as was the percentage of moderates, at 34%, while the percentage considering themselves liberal rose a percentage point for the third straight year.
Other polls have indicated that political polarization stems in part from the leftward drift of the Democrats.
The one-point uptick in the percentage liberal in 2014 stems from one-point increases in liberal self-identification among both independents and Democrats. The small percentage of Republicans identifying as liberals stayed the same. Longer term, since 2000, all of the rise in liberalism on this measure is owing to Democrats
