Do Democrats and Republicans want to move toward the middle? What a poll found

America could be in store for even more political polarization, according to new polling.

In the latest SurveyUSA poll, few Democrats and Republicans said they want their party to become more moderate, while much larger shares were in favor of becoming more extreme.

Among Republicans, just 12% said they want the GOP to move toward the middle, while a plurality, 44%, said they want the party to stay where it is.

An additional 40% said the party — which currently controls the White House and enjoys majorities in the House and Senate — should become more conservative.

Democrats, meanwhile, were more inclined to want their party to change course, with few saying this realignment should be toward the middle.

Just 18% said the Democratic Party should become more moderate, while 50% said it should become more progressive. Meanwhile, 24% said the party should stay the current course.

The poll interviewed 3,000 U.S. adults April 2-6 and has a margin of error between 3.9 and 4.1 percentage points.

It comes in contrast to a February Gallup poll, which found a plurality of Democrats, 45%, wanted the party to become more moderate, indicating a possible shift in opinion over the first few months of President Donald Trump’s second term.

Meanwhile, the poll found a plurality of Republicans, 43%, wanted the GOP to maintain its current course, largely mirroring the SurveyUSA poll results.

The latest poll also comes after numerous studies and surveys have concluded that America has become more politically polarized in recent years.

“Ordinary Americans are more polarized than in the past,” a 2023 Pew Research Center poll found, adding that partisan divisions on specific issues have grown over the past few decades.

A 2025 Gallup poll also found that record shares of Republicans and Democrats identified as conservative and liberal, respectively, in 2024.

This story was originally published April 11, 2025 at 12:05 PM with the headline "Do Democrats and Republicans want to move toward the middle? What a poll found."