Poll: Dems feeling less optimistic about party's future, Republican morale is up
Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say that their party fails to address the concerns of a number of groups, including women, minorities and residents of rural areas, a recent Pew Research Center poll shows.
Forty-eight percent of Democrats believe that their party isn’t doing enough to help women, compared to just one-third of Republicans who express similar sentiments. The same pattern surfaces with another group--African Americans. One-half of Democrats are likely to say that their party needs to do more to sufficiently respond to the concerns of African Americans. Just thirty-two percent of GOP members are likely to say the same.
Surveying about 4,100 adults between Nov. 29 and Dec. 12, the Pew survey reveals a disparity between Republicans and Democrats on their respective party’s treatment of different societal groups.
There is also a disparity in attitudes toward rural concerns. Sixty-four percent of Democratic party members say more needs to be done to assist those who live in rural areas. A smaller share of Republicans--46 percent--say their party isn’t doing enough to lessen the plight of this particular demographic.
Republican morale after the election is up -- 79 percent of Republicans are very or somewhat optimistic about the GOP’s future. Before the election, 61 percent of Republicans were optimistic. Democrats’ optimism about their party has fallen from 77 percent before the election to 61 percent afterward.
Where Republicans and Democrats agree
What Republicans agree on generally is that their parties do not do enough for middle-income Americans -- 54 percent of Republicans feel this way, and 58 percent of Democrats also agree with this. Both parties also feel that their own parties do too much for high-income earners (45 percent of Republicans and 43 percent of Democrats).
