More Than One-Quarter Of Americans Are Tea Party Supporters (POLL)

A hefty 28 percent of all Americans identify themselves as supporters of the grass-roots Tea Party movement, according to a new Gallup poll released Monday.

The poll results suggest that along several demographic planes --including age, employment status and race-- Tea Party supporters resemble the population at large. 79 percent of Tea Partiers, for example, are "non-Hispanic white", as compared with 75 percent of the entire country.

The poll confirms, however, that Tea Party supporters overwhelmingly skew Republican and conservative. 49 percent of all self-identified Tea Party supporters classified themselves as Republican; a total of 92 percent were either Republican or Independent, with a mere 8 percent identifying themselves as Democrats.

The Gallup results diverge from those released last week by the Winston Group, a polling and strategy firm with conservative leanings. The Winston study indicates that only 17 percent of the population identifies itself with the Tea Party, suggesting a smaller base of support for the movement.

The Gallup results were based on telephone interviews with 1033 adults, age 18 and above, conducted from March 26-28. The poll results have a margin of error of four percentage points.

Comments

[NWBrunette]

01:52 AM on 04/15/2010

Yeah well, that's way down from the 50% that voted for bush twice. Thank goodness. This "movement" has so much in common with what goes on inside one's colon. The 25% that support them are full of it.

[great or greatest]

05:16 PM on 04/12/2010

the tea baggers are a pointless organization that doesnt mean anything once so ever

[sissyreed]

06:32 PM on 04/12/2010

If it's pointless, then why does it attract so much attention and why does the left feel a need to try and take it down? We have great influence and it is only growing. Those of you on the left have nothing that even comes close. Read it and weep.

[Nevervotesrepublican]

04:04 PM on 04/14/2010

What do you call the President, the Senate and the Congress. You have a small mob paid for by big business, so what.

[MysticalPippin]

08:01 PM on 04/10/2010

This "poll" tells us nothing. They failed to mention that 1/3 of the people who respond to polls Lie about something on them. Either the question itself or the qualifier.

i.e. if the poll asks for registered voters ONLY to answer people can lie about being a registered voter. And if you're not registered then that throws a monkey wrench into the percentages and the poll becomes worthless. If they ask about demographics or employment or age in this case it wouldn't really effect the accuracy of the main question.

But if they lie about the political party they belong to then it does. i.e. if say a Rep wants to push up the numbers of Dems who support teabaggers for the purpose of making it sound like more Dems are in agreement with and support the teabaggers then... again it effects the accuracy of the main question.

I'm not saying that the Reps are doing this. Dems and Indie's could be doing it as well..... I only used the Reps as an example to make my point clear because its a poll about teabaggers support and we all know that the majority of the teabaggers are conservatives which are typically Republicans.

[powerflowernewyork]

03:07 PM on 04/10/2010

Teaparty slimeballs,you guys are just sour election losers.We know you.!Everybody pays taxes you dirthy filthy slimeballs.And your not exempt.Where do you think you are living ?In a banana-republic,and dancing limbo???/No ,asswipes,you are in the USA.Do you have amnesia?How do you think we have bridges ,roads,education ect??????From the toothfairy???If your toothless of course you can give me the fairytale you swines.You want everything for free.These are the people who shoplift at all those malls,by not using their own money to buy,but to steal.Stop acting like bozo the clown.Nobody drinks tea ,its too hot.Cut it out.Go home and cry your hearts out because you lost an election,and then start from scratch,ok slimeballs

[thepheonix]

10:00 PM on 04/08/2010

The Tea Party is growing very fast.

They are adding thousands of people to the rolls every week.

They are mix of Republicans, Dems and Ind and that is why the Democratic Party fears them.

You can tell. They don't hesitate to demean them.

[PopsinAZ]

10:53 AM on 04/09/2010

The Democratic Party would be very wise to fear the Tea Partiers! The mainstream media will probably continue to paint these people as racists, or right winged radical fringe, etc., etc. However, these people are primarily middle income Americans who are fed up with our administration and congress. They have jointly decided to make their voices heard. The more the Democrats ignore or criticize them, and the more the Republicans embrace them, the likelier it is that Repubs will regain majorities in congress in November, and maybe get the White House back in 2012 as well. The majority of these people are INDEPENDENTS. They voted to throw out George W and the Republicans in 2008, and they will likely vote to throw out the Democrats in upcoming elections. They helped get Scott Brown elected in Massachusettes and they will be a major influence in upcoming elections. The more the Democrats ignore these people or criticize them the more this movement will continue to grow. It might make good sense to demean and disrespect the Republicans, but it is quite another to believe these people are evil, right wing radical Repubs in sheeps clothing.

[NWBrunette]

01:56 AM on 04/15/2010

These people are primarily low-information voters, racists, h0m0ph0bes, and assorted craz.ies. They're noisy, and they've got the right-wing media blowhorns to keep them all fired up. But they have nothing of offer except fodder for late night. The vast majority of America will be exceptionally tired of them by November.

[sunny4]

05:02 PM on 04/15/2010

Why would anyone fear these simpletons? I would love to see Palin/ Beck or who ever , in the white house. I would jump for joy. Talking about 4 years of stupidness!

[amdezurik]

04:11 PM on 04/07/2010

does anyone know what the real question asked was? they have inserted a block of text in brackets and I am curious what term they really used.

[CCinLV]

03:59 PM on 04/07/2010

See the Tea Party in Searchlight, NV that Fox News wouldnt show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za6xkUcvhhc

[PopsinAZ]

03:00 PM on 04/07/2010

YOU BETTER TAKE A CLOSER, MORE OBJECTIVE LOOK AT TEA PARTY PEOPLE! Those of you who think Tea Partiers are a bunch of racists are WRONG. And, if you believe they are Republicans 'in sheeps clothing' you are also WRONG. And, if you think most of them are fringe element right wing radicals you are also wrong. The Tea Party people for the most part are tax paying mid income Americans, legitimately angry about big government, excessive regulations and taxation. They are sick and tired of this administration and the congress dictating more and more restrictions on them while spending more and more on themselves, their special interests, and able bodied people who refuse to work for themselves, all at the expense of taxpaying citizens. Politically, a high percentage of these people claim to be independents, although there are both Democrats and Republicans represented as well. My advice to those of you who believe these people are merely a minor nuisance to be criticized or ignored is, YOU BETTER TAKE A CLOSER MORE OBJECTIVE LOOK.

[amdezurik]

03:48 PM on 04/07/2010

lay down with dogs and you get up with fleas. you take money and or moral support from the bigots in your self-identified "group" and all your words and actions will be colored by that in everyone elses eyes. just the facts

[PopsinAZ]

07:11 PM on 04/07/2010

AMDEZURIK - And WHOM do YOU take money and/or moral support from? Let me venture a guess: Are you a student, a welfare recipient, a gov't employee, a union member, unemployed?.... just the facts.

[jwredd]

05:53 PM on 04/07/2010

The teaparty movement started to gain momentum last summer when their first order of business was to belligerently disrupt and virtually shut down the healthcare town halls. Not to offer solutions or engage in honest debate, but to shout them down.

That belligerence has shown no sign of waning and after more than 15 months we've seen NOTHING in the way of a platform or reform ideas on any issue, only hyperbole and vague ideas about "out of control spending" and "evll, marxist government". At what point do you think it will be time to offer some concrete, sensible ideas instead of just continuing to vent your anger and belligerence? November is coming up quickly and you've yet to come up with anything other than fueling people's frustrations. How do you expect to be taken seriously by the rest of us without offering anything in terms of actual policy?

You want to make cuts? Then propose some legitimate cuts and see if your coalition will hold together and rally behind them. Until, stop whining about the rest of us not taking you seriously.

[PopsinAZ]

07:01 PM on 04/07/2010

Tea Baggers were unsuccessful at stopping Pelosi, Reid, and a majority of Democrats from passing the most sizeable, costly and un-American legislation in our country's history. And, although Obama's several TALKING POINTS were very persuasive, the legislation doesn't even come close to mirroring all the TALK. Tea Partiers and MANY, MANY people - who are not Republicans, or racists, radicals or fringe nutcases - oppose this legislation for valid reasons! Virtually EVERYONE agrees that the spiralling costs of healthcare need to be reduced. Also, that medical malpractice costs are prohibitively expensive for most private practice physicians. However, with this legislation we will ALL pay for 3 or 4 years and get NOTHING, while these costs will continue to skyrocket!! And, YOU believe the Tea Baggers major function is disrupting townhalls and merely complaining? Here is a good idea for you: Get a job and try earning your own way like many of the rest of us!

[truthglow]

11:19 AM on 04/07/2010

There always have been at least 25% nuts in this country. But that makes at least 75% who have sense!!!

[brt929]

01:05 PM on 04/07/2010

I really don't think the "nut job" demographics are that high.

Too bad they didn't ask the question on the census. We would know many more Cuckoo's Nests
we should build.

[sissyreed]

06:37 PM on 04/12/2010

No, the other 75% are just lazy.

[AdV2k1]

11:08 AM on 04/07/2010

the same % of people supported Bush in 2008. **shruging shoulders **

[Patriotallday]

10:45 AM on 04/07/2010

---The Tea Party Movement ranks are growing by the day! Obama has now announced he will cut our nuclear weapons,,,will not build new nukes,,,and will not use nuclear weapons if we are attacked by a country that signed on to stop the spread of nuclear weapons! Obama is now posing a threat to the security of the United States. Iran, Putin, and Chavez are laughing at our "president" while Obama is sending HAND WRITTEN letters to these tyrants begging them to lay down their weapons (like us) and be nice.................Chamberlin did the exact same thing with Hitler and look what happened...........

[SouthernBubba]

12:16 PM on 04/07/2010

Chamberlin and his ilk created oceans of blood and misery. But if world leaders do not get this right, there won't be oceans of blood nor any humans to be miserable--just an incinerated rock spinning through space.

[jwredd]

01:31 PM on 04/07/2010

Is that one of the new teabagger slogans, "MORE NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION!" ?

(As "nuclear" and "proliferation" are hard to say and spell, maybe it should just say "MORE NUKES")

[KaptainKen]

10:39 AM on 04/07/2010

Re: "The Gallup results were based on telephone interviews ... "

Makes me wonder if they were "landlines" or cellular. Now, in 2010, how many people have in their homes landlines? Businesses would be expected to have landlines but many people have canceled their land lines and gone totally wireless. I did about 4 years ago. Younger people are not even bothering to get a land line and, further, signing up for services that block unsolicited calls. I know I rarely answer a number I don't recognize especially from out of my area code.

I think the demographic for people with land lines is "older" than for those with wireless only. This could skew a survey to the right.

[truthglow]

11:21 AM on 04/07/2010

As an intelligent Democratic home landline owner, your comment makes no sense. I also have a cell phone, but I still prefer my landline phone. Please re-think your theory.

[Busbydav]

12:01 PM on 04/07/2010

I'm a 28 yo Democrat that has never owned a landline and never will.

[brt929]

01:10 PM on 04/07/2010

I'm an intelligent Democratic home owner that got rid of my land line a few years ago- it makes sense. No only did I decrease the number of bills I had every month, but no more calls from sales people.

The only bummer is I had to give up my fax, and now I have to pay to use one. But I fax a lot less because almost everything can be done by email.

[SouthernBubba]

11:36 AM on 04/07/2010

I agreed about the cell vs landline scenario. Polls are not necessarily dishonest (although a lot are) but are just flat wrong. The proof of the pudding will be in the voting booth this Fall.

[robinree]

10:36 AM on 04/07/2010

This is nothing to be alarmed about. It is simply that the radical/ racist portion of the Republican party now has a new name for themselves. In the meantime moderate Republicans are being pushed out by this group. They don't want to be represented by the kind of posters and slogans at the Tea Party rallies so it is making them self-identify as even more independent leaning. I know what I'm talking about because I have a lot of family members who are registered Republicans but who have become disenfranchised with their party over the way the Republicans embraced the Tea Party. Besides, at the end of the day if 1/4 of America associates with the Tea Party that means that 3/4 of America doesn't. I'll take those odds in a democratic system.

[TGNY]

10:32 AM on 04/07/2010

So you survey 1000 people and 25% of the country is a tea-bagger - polling data is just getting more shady as the days pass...

We only have 300 million people in this country

[brt929]

01:13 PM on 04/07/2010

Remember, who ever pays Gallup to perform the poll, sets the rules and the parameters. Didn't USA Today pay for this poll?

[lapinbrim]

10:27 AM on 04/07/2010

Wow, more than 25% of americans are xenophobic, irrational and scared. Who knew?

[biglith]

11:19 AM on 04/07/2010

It's been that way from the beginning.

[truthglow]

11:22 AM on 04/07/2010

Nothing new here.