Catawba College Poll: MAGA more consolidated within GOP than DSA within Democratic Party
Published 3:46 p.m. today
A national survey by Catawba College and YouGov of U.S. adults finds that Make America Great Again (MAGA) is viewed as a more consolidated and influential force within the Republican Party than the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is within the Democratic Party. The findings also show that pure independents are more negative toward MAGA than toward DSA, while expressing limited trust in both major political parties.
The survey of 1,200 respondents, weighted to reflect the U.S. adult population, examined attitudes toward MAGA, DSA, and the influence each movement is perceived to have within its respective political party.
Among self-identified Republicans, roughly three in four respondents say they at least somewhat support MAGA, including four in 10 who say they strongly support it. Republicans also broadly see MAGA as influential within their party: about two-thirds say the movement has either a great deal or a fair amount of influence.
At the same time, Republican views of MAGA are not entirely uniform. Nearly one in five Republicans report neither supporting nor opposing MAGA, suggesting that a meaningful minority remains ambivalent even within the party most associated with the movement.
“The results point to a clear unevenness in how these movements are positioned within their respective parties,” said Dr. J. Michael Bitzer, professor of politics and history and director of the Center for North Carolina Politics & Public Service, which wrote and paid for the survey. “MAGA has strong support and is widely seen as influential among Republicans. DSA has meaningful support among Democrats, but Democrats are more likely to describe its role as limited, moderate, or uncertain rather than dominant.”
MAGA SUPPORT AMONG REPUBLICANS IS BROAD AND INTENSE Among self-identified Republicans, nearly three-quarters (74%) say they strongly or somewhat support MAGA, with less than 10% opposing the movement and nearly two in 10 having no opinion.
Total Independent Republican
Republicans also perceive MAGA as a significant force within the party: two-thirds say MAGA has a great deal or a fair amount of influence within the Republican Party. Only 20% of Republicans say MAGA has some influence, while 7% say MAGA has little or no influence. Another 8% say they are not sure.
Total Independent Republican
The survey also finds that Republicans generally trust their party, though strong institutional trust is lower than MAGA support. About three-quarters express at least some trust in the Republican Party, but fewer than one-third say they have a great deal of trust.
Total Independent Republican
“This suggests that attachment to MAGA may be at least as strong as, and perhaps stronger than, confidence in the Republican Party as an institution,” Bitzer said.
DEMOCRATS VIEW DSA AS MEANINGFUL BUT LESS DOMINANT Compared with Republicans and MAGA, Democratic attitudes toward DSA are more mixed. Among self-identified Democrats, 61% strongly or somewhat support DSA, with 27% of them expressing strong support for DSA. Almost a third of Democrats (31%) neither support nor oppose DSA, while 8% somewhat or strongly oppose DSA.
Total Democrat Independent
Democrats generally believe that DSA has a role within the Democratic Party, but fewer describe that influence as especially strong.
Total Democrat Independent
A plurality (45%) say DSA has a great deal or a fair amount of influence within the Democratic Party, with a little over a third (35%) who say DSA has some influence. Eleven percent of Democrats say DSA has little or no influence, and another 8% are not sure.
“Unlike Republicans and MAGA, most Democrats see DSA as having at least some influence, but the dominant view is not necessarily that DSA controls or defines the Democratic Party,” Bitzer noted. “The survey suggests that DSA is visible within the Democratic coalition, but that visibility should not be confused with universal enthusiasm or a perception of party-wide dominance.”
Democrats express stronger trust in the Democratic Party than they do opposition to it, with three-quarters (75%) reporting at least some trust in their party. Only 12% report some or a great deal of distrust, while another 13% neither trust nor distrust the party.
