🗳 🇺🇸 📊 Political independents hit their highest level in a decade

Independents have grown to 47% of the population, rising roughly 10 points since just after President Donald Trump’s first term as president, according to CNN polling. Over the last 20 years, CNN polling found independent identification peaked in 2015 at just a shade higher than it is today: 48% of Americans on average across all CNN polling that year were independents

The poll suggests a shift away from Republicans since 2024 among registered voters, another ominous sign for the GOP ahead of the upcoming midterm elections as Trump’s approval ratings have sagged.

Since 2024, younger voters, male voters and White voters without college degrees have shifted away from the GOP, but not necessarily toward the Democrats. In the new poll, 17% of voters younger than 45 say they consider themselves Republicans, down from 26% who said the same in 2024. But the share who call themselves Democrats is fairly steady at 33%, with 50% saying they don’t consider themselves a part of either party. There are similar patterns among men – young men in particular – and White voters without college degrees.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/16/politics/cnn-poll-political-parties-independent-democrats-republicans