Nearly half of Americans now identify as political independents, according to a CNN poll released June 16, 2026, marking the highest level of partisan independence measured by CNN in more than a decade as the cnn poll on partisan independence shows.
The poll, conducted by SSRS between May 7 and May 31 among 2,480 US adults, found that 47% of Americans say they don’t consider themselves part of either major political party. This represents a rise of roughly 10 percentage points since the end of President Donald Trump’s first term, according to CNN polling.
The surge in independents comes as Republicans have lost ground among key voter groups. Among registered voters specifically, Democrats now outnumber Republicans 31% to 28%, with 41% identifying as independents. Since 2024, the share of registered voters calling themselves Republicans has dropped from 34% to 28%, a shift driven particularly by younger voters and men.
Younger voters under 45 have seen the most dramatic movement away from the Republican Party. In 2024, 26% of voters under 45 identified as Republicans; that figure has fallen to just 17% in the new poll. Meanwhile, Democratic identification among this age group has remained steady at 33%, with the majority—50%—saying they don’t consider themselves part of either party.
Male voters ages 18 to 44 experienced the largest shift of any demographic. In 2024, 27% identified as Republicans, but that dropped to 15% in 2026, while independent identification among this group surged from 45% to 56%. White voters without college degrees also moved away from the GOP, with Republican identification falling from 49% in 2024 to 41% in 2026.
Demographically, independents differ substantially from party members. According to the poll, 63% of those who don’t affiliate with a party are younger than 50, compared with 52% of Democrats and just 38% of Republicans. Independents are more likely to live in urban areas (40%) than Republicans (28%), though less likely than Democrats (49%). Nearly half of independents report annual household incomes below $50,000.
Independents also tend to be less engaged with politics. Just 67% say they are registered to vote, compared with more than 80% of both Democrats and Republicans. Only 25% of independents say they frequently seek out the latest political news, suggesting a population that is more detached from partisan messaging and electoral engagement than party-affiliated voters.
Historically, CNN polling found independent identification peaked in 2015 at 48%—just slightly higher than today’s 47%. Since 2021, the share of Americans identifying as independents has steadily climbed from 36%, while Democratic identification has dropped from 35% to 27%. Republican identification peaked at 31% in 2022 and 2023 before falling to 26% currently.
The poll carries a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points for the full sample. While many independents still lean toward one party or the other, when leaners are included, 39% align more with Democrats, 37% with Republicans, and 25% say they don’t lean either way—a near-even split that underscores the fragmented political landscape heading into the 2026 midterm elections.
Sources
- CNN — CNN poll conducted by SSRS May 7-31, 2026, among 2,480 US adults on party identification and demographic breakdown of independents
