For the First time in Gallop records going back to 1999 the number of Social Liberals and Social conservatives is at a matching 31%
Gallup had been polling social views since 1999 and had been repeating the poll annually since 2001. The polls indicated a broad trend towards convergence by changes towards the center until the conservative advantage vanished in this year’s poll, taken May 6-10. This is the first time that conservatives haven’t outnumbered liberal.
Even though the conservatives still are on top by 39% on economic issues that number is on a decline as well. While 64% of the Republicans still have conservative views on economics , that has decreased by 6% since 2014.
On the Democrat side views have moved closer to the center by 2% in the same time period, with the liberal views losing 2% and the moderate viewpoint gaining 2%
This poll Implicates America's growing social liberalism in its overall view but also on specific issues such a same sex marriage and legalizing pot. However they are careful to say that the changes may be a result of population changes as young liberal Americans enter adulthood and the older conservative population passes on.
The 2016 presidential election will thus be contested in a more socially liberal electorate -- and a less economically conservative one -- than was also true of prior elections.
The poll suggested that both sides will need to move more to the center to improve their chances in the upcoming election cycle. The poll suggested that conservative move to the center on social issues and liberals to the center on economic issues.
The poll sampled 1,024 ages 18 and up from 50 states and DC for a sampling that has a error margin of 4% +- and a 95% confidence level.
Source: Gallup poll