According to a Gallup survey of more than 13,000 U.S. adults, 45 percent of Americans identified politically as Independents in 2025. This is higher than the previous high of 43 percent recorded in 2014, 2023, and 2024.
A New High.
“In most years since Gallup began regularly conducting its polls by telephone in 1988, independents have been the largest political group. However, the independent percentage has increased markedly in the past 15 years, typically registering 40% or higher, a level not reached prior to 2011,” wrote Jeffrey M. Jones, Senior Editor at Gallup, summarizing the survey results.
Over the same period, the share of Americans identifying as Republican or Democrat declined relative to Independents. In 2025, 27 percent of Americans identified as Republican and 27 percent identified as Democrat. In contrast, 34 percent of U.S. adults identified as Republican and 34 percent identified as Democrat in 2004, compared with 31 percent who identified as Independent.
Generational Divide.
The survey also revealed that younger Americans are more likely to identify as Independent than their elders.
Whereas 56 percent of Gen Z Americans identified as Independents, only 30 percent of Silent Generation Americans did. Millennials followed Gen Z as the most Independent generation at 54 percent, while 42 percent of Gen X and only 33 percent of Baby Boomers identify as Independent.
Relatedly, party identification was stronger among older generations, with 37 percent and 32 percent of Silent Generation Americans identifying as Republicans and Democrats, respectively. Boomers are similar to the Silent Generation, with 34 percent identifying as Republican and 32 percent as Democrat. This compares to 17 percent of Gen Z identifying as Republican and 27 percent as Democrat.
Ideological Alignment.
Compared to Republican and Democrat identification, Independent identification maps less neatly onto ideological alignment. According to Gallup, 47 percent of Independents identified as “Moderate,” while 27 percent identified as “Very Conservative” or “Conservative” and 24 percent identified as “Very Liberal” or “Liberal.”
In contrast, 77 percent of Republicans identified as “Very Conservative” or “Conservative,” 20 percent identified as “Moderate,” and two percent as “Very Liberal” or “Liberal,” while 59 percent of Democrats identified as “Very Liberal” or “Liberal,” 32 percent identified as “Moderate,” and eight percent identified as “Very Conservative” or “Conservative.”
This suggests a significant share of the American electorate is ideologically motivated, despite not aligning with either of the major parties, indicating alienation from party politics rather than politics altogether.
