The Biden effect: Support for GOP reaches its highest level since 1995 - with 47% of Americans now Republican, while support for Democrats plunges 7% in a year to 42%
American support for the Democratic Party took a plunge last year while the GOP saw its highest popularity since 1995, as President Joe Biden faces mounting criticism over inflation and COVID ahead of the November midterms.
A new survey conducted by Gallup revealed 47 percent of Americans identified as Republican or Republican-leaning at the end of 2021.
This was a nine percent increase in support from the start of the year.
Meanwhile, 42 percent of survey participants identified as Democrat or Democrat-leaning between October 1 and December 31, a seven percent decrease from the first quarter of the year.
The new results indicate a dramatic flip in favor of the Republican party, which has continued to trail behind the Democratic Party over the last decade. It is also the first time the GOP has had a five point lead over the Democrats since the mid-90s.
They also spell good news for Republicans ahead of the November 2022 midterms, amid growing predictions that the GOP will take back both the House of Representatives and Senate, leaving Biden, 79, a lame-duck president.
Forty-two percent of survey participants identified as Democrat or Democrat-leaning between October 1 and December 31, a seven percent decrease from the first quarter of the year
American support for the Democratic Party took a plunge last year while the GOP saw its highest popularity since 1995, as President Joe Biden faces mounting criticism over his policies. 47 percent of Americans identified as Republican or Republican-leaning at the end of 2021, a 9 percent increase in support from the start of the year
The US is currently mired in the worst inflation in 40 years, with the cost of living rising by seven per cent in December compared to the same period a year before.
Economists warn the crushing price rises could last well into 2023, sparking concerns over the president's desire to push his $1.7 trillion Build Back Better spending package, whose passage critics warn will only worsen inflation.
Biden has also been hamstrung by his vow to beat COVID by July 4 2021, with the US experiencing record surges in virus cases in recent weeks, thanks to the Omicron variant.
And while deaths remain low, almost every facet of Biden's COVID policy has been heavily-politicized, including pleas for people to get vaccinated and boostered.
Social issues are likely to form a large part of campaigning in upcoming elections, with Democrats tainted in the eyes of many voters over their initial support for school closures, and dismissal of parents who have hit out at the teaching of critical race theory-inspired 'equity' lessons in schools.
The landmark poll was carried out by Gallup over the course of the year in all 50 states and Washington DC, with a total of 12,416 American adults polled.
The results come as President Joe Biden (pictured) faces the worst inflation in 40 years and has also been hamstrung by his vow to beat COVID by July 4 2021
Gallup, which has regularly measured party leaning since 1991, reported that in most years more Americans have aligned themselves with Democrats or Independents than Republicans.
The Democratic Party held five or six point advantages in party affiliation each year from 2016 to 2020 — when Donald Trump was president — and a three-point edge in 2014 and 2015.
However in 2021, the Republican Party saw a steady rise in support.
In quarter one 40 percent affiliated with the GOP, then 43, 44 and 42 percent respectively in quarters two, three and four.
Similarly, Democrats saw a steady fall in support, with 49 percent affiliating with the party in the first half of the year and 45 and 47 percent in quarters three and four.
The Democrat's falling approval ratings could help the Republicans regain a majority in at least one of the chambers of Congress in the 2022 midterms.
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