Washington: A majority of American adults feel a third party is required as both the Republican and Democratic parties "do such a poor job" representing the people, a Gallup poll has found. A majority since 2007 has typically called for a third party, as per the poll results released on Thursday.
The poll comes nearly six weeks before the mid-term Congressional elections and at a time when most Americans hold an unfavourable opinion of both the parties in Congress, with only about four in 10 judging each party positively.
Americans' views towards the two major parties have been unenthusiastic for much of the past decade. They were responding to the question: "In your view, do the Republicans and the Democratic parties do an adequate job of representing the American people, or do they do such a poor job that a third major party is needed?"
58 per cent voted in the affirmative while 35 per cent felt that both the main parties were doing an adequate job. Seven per cent had no opinion, it said. However, even when the parties' images were more positive in the past, including majority favouring the Democrats throughout 2007 and acceptability for the Republicans approaching 50 per cent in 2011, Americans still saw the need for a third party, Gallup said.
The first time a Gallup poll asked whether a third party was required was in 2003 when a majority of Americans believed the two major parties were adequately representing the US public. It was the only time this has been the case.
Since 2007, a majority has said a third party was needed, with two exceptions occurring in the fall of the 2008 and 2012 presidential election years, according to Gallup. A historic 60 per cent high favouring a third party came in a poll conducted during the partial federal government shutdown last October. At that time, only 26 per cent of Americans said the parties were doing an adequate job. That figure is up to 35 per cent now, but with little change in the percentage calling for a third party.
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