Polling Data: Third Party Support Increasing

Third party polling data are improving.

Polling Data

Some people say we should have a third major political party in this country in addition to the Democrats and Republicans. Do you agree or disagree?

————-Apr. 2006—–Jun. 2004

Agree————53%———-50%

Disagree——–40%———43%

Not sure———-7%———-7%

Source: Princeton Survey Research Associates / Pew Research Center for the People and the Press Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,501 American adults, conducted from Apr. 7 to Apr. 16, 2006. Margin of error is 3.5 per cent.

Props.

posted Apr 26th, 2006 by Stephen Gordon · This entry was posted in self. Bookmark the permalink.
  • Brian

    Unfortunately, the 3% increase in support for third parties is less than the 3.5% margin of error of the poll. Still, a level of support at approximately 50% is a good thing. Hey, you only need 33% +1 to win a three-way race.

  • Sandra Kallander

    Yeah, that’s all we need: more political parties. What we really need is a party for people who hate politics. (If only they knew there was one, already.)

    That’s a good question for the next poll:
    Would you join a party for people who hate politics?

  • http://voteoverstreet.org Kris Overstreet

    Support for -a- third party does not mean support for any -particular- third party.

  • Paul Pace

    If I answered the poll I’d disagree. What the country needs isn’t three major political parties. It needs MANY political parties.

  • Ian C

    I have to disagree with the primary thought thus far. Having a third major political party would intrinsically destabilize the “either/or” “black/white”
    “conservative/liberal” thinking that leads to such things as the ‘neocon’ being a valid perspective within conservative thinking.

    This could only be possible if at least one additional party were to reach relatively the same political level of power as the current primary two.

    This would also be a major step towards the introduction of a wide variety of political parties and the possibility of “temporary action” parties. (Which essentially is what the USMJ party is.) This in effect would greatly lead to the de-polarizing of politics, leaving the issues themselves and individual charisma, rather than “group-think” as the primary factor.

  • http://www.justicedanecostyle.com Rolf

    this poll proves the public wants more news coverage of alternative candidates than they are getting.

  • http://www.randomactofkindness.com Jeff Trigg

    Rolf makes a great point. “Alternative” candidates should save this study to give to all the debate sponsors also, especially the League of Women Voters, in addition to the media.

    http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/12/opinion/meyer/main1494829.shtml
    CBS News Editorial Director Dick Meyer agrees with the study.

  • http://blog.mshiltonj.com Steven Hilton

    I do not believe this poll.

    People *say* they want a third party, but then vote re-elect 95% of the incumbents each election, and the other 5% are candidate from the other incumbent party.

    Nobody complains when the Commission on Presidential Debates excludes everyone but the two incumbent parties.

    I call shenanigans.

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