Here is Jeffrey Jones at Gallup:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sixty-three percent of U.S. adults currently agree with the statement that the Republican and Democratic parties do “such a poor job” of representing the American people that “a third major party is needed.” This represents a seven-percentage-point increase from a year ago and is the highest since Gallup first asked the question in 2003. However, the current measure is not meaningfully different from the prior highs of 61% in 2017 and 62% in 2021, shortly after the January 2021 Capitol Hill riots.
Over the past two decades, majorities of U.S. adults have typically agreed that a third party is needed. The last time this wasn’t the case was in 2012, when Americans were evenly divided. Gallup also found close divisions in 2006 and 2008 polls. In 2003, a record-low 40% called for a third party when 56% thought the parties were doing “an adequate job of representing the American people.”
The latest data are based on Gallup’s annual Governance poll, conducted Sept. 1-23, 2023, which finds both parties receiving low favorable ratings, as has been the case for most of the past two decades.
The study also found that:
- More Republicans want a third political party than Democrats.
- There has been a small rise in Democrats who want a third political party.