Over the last few months in focus groups we have started hearing respondents make important distinctions between candidates they deem “liberal” and those they see as “progressive.” The latter are described as being “forward-thinking” and “ahead of the curve,” while more traditional liberals often viewed as a thing of the past.
As a response to this trend, the Public Opinion Strategies team began experimenting with a revised ideology question, providing respondents with options beyond the traditional conservative, moderate, liberal framework. We have now tested this question on multiple national surveys and are beginning to track attitudinal and demographic data for these “new” ideological categories which will help to inform how we approach the 2020 election cycle. CONT.
Becky Kramer, Public Opinion Strategies