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CNN
3 days ago
- Business
- CNN
2 key findings on Democrats' brand problem from the new CNN poll
There's new evidence that the Democratic Party's reputation is in a bad place. That doesn't mean the party is doomed, electorally speaking. There's plenty of reason to doubt that, given lots of history and its performance in the 2025 elections thus far — but it is a complicating factor for the party's path forward. And a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS provides insights into the party's problems. It's worth a breakdown. The poll, which was released Sunday, asked a battery of questions about how people view both parties. Perhaps most striking was that people were more likely to view the Republicans than Democrats as the party with strong leaders (40% to 16%) and even the 'party of change' (32% to 25%). Neither party won close to a majority in either category. But the former is notable because there is such a gulf between the two parties. And the latter is notable because the party that's out of power is usually viewed as the party of change. Not this time. So what can we read into these findings? The 'strong leaders' question might be the most troublesome finding for Democrats. Only about 1 in 6 Americans said Democrats have stronger leaders than Republicans. As remarkably, only 39% of Democrats said that. We've seen hints of this in previous polls. A March CNN poll found about 3 in 10 Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters couldn't name a single leader who best reflected the party's core values. An AP-NORC poll last month showed just 35% of Democrats said they were at least 'somewhat' optimistic about the future of their party, compared with 55% of Republicans for their party. This might not seem too surprising. We just said goodbye to a Democratic president (Joe Biden) who was a diminished figure even when he was still in office. And the Democratic nominee who replaced him (Kamala Harris) wasn't exactly viewed as the future of the party when she took over the ticket in the 2024 race — and then lost. But there was a time when Democrats were at a somewhat similar crossroads, and the numbers weren't as dismal. A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll asked the same question in 2006 — after John Kerry's unsuccessful emergence as Democrats' 2004 presidential candidate — and found a smaller 14-point advantage for Republicans. Back then, 63% of Democrats said their party had stronger leaders than Republicans — 24 points higher than today. One reason for the difference is that the 2025 and 2006 polls asked the question in a slightly different way, partly because one was conducted entirely by phone and the other mostly online. Today's poll gave people an explicit 'neither' option, which the 2006 poll didn't (though some people volunteered that option back then). Nearly half of Democrats in the new poll (48%) chose that option. That's still a remarkable finding. Combined with the 13% of Democrats who said Republicans have the stronger leaders, that's 6 in 10 Democrats this year who don't think their side has stronger leaders than a party led by a president whom a huge majority of them revile. The other notable finding is on which party is the 'party of change.' Americans chose Republicans, 32% to 25%. That's not a big gap, but it is counterintuitive given Republicans swept the House, Senate and White House last fall. Historically speaking, it's almost always the party that's out of power that's viewed as the party of change. Before the 2006 election, the same CNN-ORC poll mentioned above showed Democrats had a huge, 56% to 29% lead on this measure. Then, as now, Democrats didn't hold the presidency or either chamber of Congress. But the numbers are very different today. Not only do Democrats trail on this measure, but only a slight majority of Democrats themselves — 51% — say their party is the party of change. And only 18% of independents say that. It's likely this is, in part, about Democrats' failure to position themselves as change agents, but also about what President Donald Trump is doing — and about people not necessarily seeing 'change' as a good thing. However you feel about the changes Trump is making, there is no question he is pushing lots of them. You see that in his and the Department of Government Efficiency's rapid overhaul of the federal government and in Trump's historic efforts to expand executive power — in ways that are often being halted by the courts because they go too far, too fast. It's possible that people just see Trump changing lots of things, whether for good or ill in their opinions, so the 'party of change' mantle doesn't mean what it usually does. We already saw during the 2024 campaign that people's definitions of 'change' were somewhat jumbled by unusual circumstances — i.e., Harris replacing Biden, and a former president running as the challenger. But it's also pretty clear that Democrats have failed to make themselves into a viable and attractive alternative to the party in power. The new CNN poll also asked which party people viewed as the 'party that can get things done.' Republicans led on this by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, 36% to 19%. Only 49% of Democrats and 11% of independents picked the Democratic Party as the more formidable one. There's also, of course, Republicans' big edge on the 'strong leaders' question. None of this means Democrats are sunk in the 2026 elections — or anything close to it. History shows the party that doesn't hold the White House almost always wins midterm elections, in large part because they're viewed as a check on the president. Democrats and liberal candidates have also been doing well in special elections and other races held since the 2024 election. In other words, being not-Trump could be good enough to at least reclaim a very closely split House. But if the Democratic Party wants to run up the score in 2026 and really chart a path for the 2028 election, it has some real work to do on its branding.
CNN
3 days ago
- Business
- CNN
2 key findings on Democrats' brand problem from the new CNN poll
There's new evidence that the Democratic Party's reputation is in a bad place. That doesn't mean the party is doomed, electorally speaking. There's plenty of reason to doubt that, given lots of history and its performance in the 2025 elections thus far — but it is a complicating factor for the party's path forward. And a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS provides insights into the party's problems. It's worth a breakdown. The poll, which was released Sunday, asked a battery of questions about how people view both parties. Perhaps most striking was that people were more likely to view the Republicans than Democrats as the party with strong leaders (40% to 16%) and even the 'party of change' (32% to 25%). Neither party won close to a majority in either category. But the former is notable because there is such a gulf between the two parties. And the latter is notable because the party that's out of power is usually viewed as the party of change. Not this time. So what can we read into these findings? The 'strong leaders' question might be the most troublesome finding for Democrats. Only about 1 in 6 Americans said Democrats have stronger leaders than Republicans. As remarkably, only 39% of Democrats said that. We've seen hints of this in previous polls. A March CNN poll found about 3 in 10 Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters couldn't name a single leader who best reflected the party's core values. An AP-NORC poll last month showed just 35% of Democrats said they were at least 'somewhat' optimistic about the future of their party, compared with 55% of Republicans for their party. This might not seem too surprising. We just said goodbye to a Democratic president (Joe Biden) who was a diminished figure even when he was still in office. And the Democratic nominee who replaced him (Kamala Harris) wasn't exactly viewed as the future of the party when she took over the ticket in the 2024 race — and then lost. But there was a time when Democrats were at a somewhat similar crossroads, and the numbers weren't as dismal. A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll asked the same question in 2006 — after John Kerry's unsuccessful emergence as Democrats' 2004 presidential candidate — and found a smaller 14-point advantage for Republicans. Back then, 63% of Democrats said their party had stronger leaders than Republicans — 24 points higher than today. One reason for the difference is that the 2025 and 2006 polls asked the question in a slightly different way, partly because one was conducted entirely by phone and the other mostly online. Today's poll gave people an explicit 'neither' option, which the 2006 poll didn't (though some people volunteered that option back then). Nearly half of Democrats in the new poll (48%) chose that option. That's still a remarkable finding. Combined with the 13% of Democrats who said Republicans have the stronger leaders, that's 6 in 10 Democrats this year who don't think their side has stronger leaders than a party led by a president whom a huge majority of them revile. The other notable finding is on which party is the 'party of change.' Americans chose Republicans, 32% to 25%. That's not a big gap, but it is counterintuitive given Republicans swept the House, Senate and White House last fall. Historically speaking, it's almost always the party that's out of power that's viewed as the party of change. Before the 2006 election, the same CNN-ORC poll mentioned above showed Democrats had a huge, 56% to 29% lead on this measure. Then, as now, Democrats didn't hold the presidency or either chamber of Congress. But the numbers are very different today. Not only do Democrats trail on this measure, but only a slight majority of Democrats themselves — 51% — say their party is the party of change. And only 18% of independents say that. It's likely this is, in part, about Democrats' failure to position themselves as change agents, but also about what President Donald Trump is doing — and about people not necessarily seeing 'change' as a good thing. However you feel about the changes Trump is making, there is no question he is pushing lots of them. You see that in his and the Department of Government Efficiency's rapid overhaul of the federal government and in Trump's historic efforts to expand executive power — in ways that are often being halted by the courts because they go too far, too fast. It's possible that people just see Trump changing lots of things, whether for good or ill in their opinions, so the 'party of change' mantle doesn't mean what it usually does. We already saw during the 2024 campaign that people's definitions of 'change' were somewhat jumbled by unusual circumstances — i.e., Harris replacing Biden, and a former president running as the challenger. But it's also pretty clear that Democrats have failed to make themselves into a viable and attractive alternative to the party in power. The new CNN poll also asked which party people viewed as the 'party that can get things done.' Republicans led on this by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, 36% to 19%. Only 49% of Democrats and 11% of independents picked the Democratic Party as the more formidable one. There's also, of course, Republicans' big edge on the 'strong leaders' question. None of this means Democrats are sunk in the 2026 elections — or anything close to it. History shows the party that doesn't hold the White House almost always wins midterm elections, in large part because they're viewed as a check on the president. Democrats and liberal candidates have also been doing well in special elections and other races held since the 2024 election. In other words, being not-Trump could be good enough to at least reclaim a very closely split House. But if the Democratic Party wants to run up the score in 2026 and really chart a path for the 2028 election, it has some real work to do on its branding.
Al Jazeera
29-05-2025
- General
- Al Jazeera
Most LGBTQ adults in US don't feel transgender people are accepted: Poll
A new poll by the Pew Research Centre has found that transgender people experience less social acceptance in the United States than those who are lesbian, gay or bisexual, according to LGBTQ adults. About six out of 10 LGBTQ adult participants in the poll said there is 'a great deal' or 'a fair amount' of social acceptance in the US for gay and lesbian people, according to 'The Experiences of LGBTQ Americans Today' report released on Thursday. Only about one in 10 said the same for non-binary and transgender people — and about half said there was 'not much' or no acceptance at all for transgender people. The survey of 3,959 LGBTQ adults was conducted in January, after US President Donald Trump's election, but just before his return to office when he set into motion a series of policies that question transgender people's existence and their place in society. On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order calling on the government to recognise people as male or female based on the 'biological truth' of their future cells at conception, rejecting evidence and scientific arguments that gender is a spectrum. Since then, Trump has barred transgender women and girls from taking part in female sports competitions, pushed transgender service members from the military and tried to block federal funding for gender-affirming care for transgender people under age 19. A poll conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in May found that about half of US adults approve of the way Trump is handling transgender issues. Transgender people are less likely than gay or lesbian adults to say they are accepted by all their family members, according to the Pew poll. The majority of LGBTQ people said their siblings and friends accepted them, though the rates were slightly higher among gay or lesbian people. About half of gay and lesbian people said their parents did, compared with about one-third of transgender people. Only about one in 10 transgender people reported feeling accepted by their extended family, compared with about three in 10 for gay or lesbian people. According to the Pew poll, about two-thirds of LGBTQ adults said the landmark US Supreme Court ruling that legalised same-sex marriage nationally on June 26, 2015, increased acceptance of same-sex couples 'a lot more' or 'somewhat more'. The Supreme Court is expected to rule in the coming weeks on whether Tennessee can enforce a ban on gender-affirming care for minors in what is seen as a major case for the transgender community.
The Independent
28-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Philanthropy wants to build Gen Z's confidence in institutions. Will youth empowerment foster trust?
Perhaps the outlook developed when COVID-19's uncontrolled spread upended nearly every facet of their young lives. Maybe it was hardened as the worst of climate change's harms grew likelier despite scientists' stark warnings. It's possible the attitude even formed from early memories of the financial insecurity brought upon their families by the Great Recession. Whatever the reason, it's well documented that Gen Z tends to lack trust in the major institutions that previous generations expected to safeguard their futures. Around 1 in 10 adults under 30 had 'a great deal of confidence" in the people running the Supreme Court in an AP-NORC poll from June 2024. A May 2023 survey found 44% of adults under 30 had 'hardly any confidence at all' in those running banks and financial institutions — about twice the share of adults ages 60 and older, who felt the same way. The gap extends to other behaviors. An AP-NORC poll conducted in March found that only about one-quarter of adults under 30 volunteered their time to charity in the past year or provided non-financial support to people in their community, compared to 36% of those over 60. Younger adults were also more likely than older adults to say they or their household donated $0 to charity, according to the poll. The philanthropic sector is working to reverse any disillusionment by empowering Gen Z to make the structural change they so often seek. Born out of the idea that young people distrust institutions because they don't feel served or included, several initiatives are underway with hopes that more responsive institutions will be seen as more legitimate ones. Perhaps the most optimistic believe their energy can bring alternatives to the status quo to life — if only given meaningful roles. 'Young people -- we're not just victims of these systems. We have agency and we have power,' said Summer Dean, 27, who breaks down complex environmental topics into actionable information for the 116,000 followers of her Instagram, @climatediva. 'If you want to inspire us, actually include us in solid structures of your organization,' she added. DoSomething doesn't want to do just anything When DeNora Getachew became DoSomething CEO in April 2021 during the pandemic, she acknowledged the platform largely provided 'slacktivist' opportunities — or low-effort ways to support social causes online. DoSomething was not meeting the desires of its 13- to 25-year-old audience for more lasting community change. The nonprofit was founded in 1993 to boost youth volunteering. But Getachew said the 'new DoSomething' sees volunteerism as a 'step on the ladder" but not "the top rung.' She pointed to a new program called Talking Trash that does more than just encourage volunteers to collect and recycle plastic bottles. Through educational campaigns and microgrants for select projects, DoSomething prompts members to think more deeply about improving their communities' overall waste management infrastructure. 'We're their cheerleader,' she said. 'We're the person who has their back and are helping them figure out how they tap into that, at least initial, sense of curiosity about what they can do.' Katelyn Knox, a 25-year-old former police officer, is part of the inaugural cohort of DoSomething 'binfluencers' who received $250 and peer support to improve local recycling systems. After moving from Florida to Los Angeles, Knox noticed many neighbors did not understand the guidelines for what is actually recyclable. Even if they did, she found that recycling bins were scarce. She decided to design an app that identifies which recyclables go where and brings door-to-door recycling services to her community. 'It is very hard to make change. You have to convince so many people to make this change -- especially people who are older than you,' Knox said. 'It's not so scary knowing that other people are with me and doing it right next to me in their own cities." DoSomething brought together Knox and Dean to record a video educating college students about broken recycling systems. Dean, the environmental storyteller, said she's seen many young folks respond to overwhelming structural issues in one of two ways: accepting that they'll 'just have to learn to survive' or 'realizing that we can just really imagine a new system of being and governing.' 'A lot of us feel powerless at some point through all of this because there's many times where these systems make us feel like there is nothing we can do,' she said. 'I always just tell people to hold onto these heavy emotions because that is what moves you to take action and not feel so much like a victim.' One Silicon Valley entrepreneur's $10 million call LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman launched The Trust in American Institutions Challenge last December with philanthropic accelerator Lever for Change. The $10 million open call will scale local solutions to restore public confidence in anything from education and government to media and medicine. Hoffman, a 57-year-old Democratic megadonor, finds that philanthropy offers more opportunities 'for beginning the trust stuff.' He said that's because there are no conflicting interests other than the mission. The challenge is not focused solely on youth. Hoffman said that 'just about everybody' across the political spectrum can recognize society's trust issues. As he sees it, the problem isn't that institutions don't work for young people. They do work, according to Hoffman, and 'part of being young is learning that.' The idea, he added, 'is to reconnect and revivify." 'We're like fish in water. We don't realize how important these institutions are to our ongoing environment,' Hoffman said. 'Revitalizing them is an important part of a society that works.' A semiquincentennial opportunity Another effort is connecting youth representatives with decision-makers to help civic institutions reach new generations ahead of the United States' 250th anniversary. Recognizing that today's teens and young adults are the ones who will inherit American democracy, Youth250 is passing the microphone to young people as the country reflects on its past and looks ahead to its future. Advisors are working with museums, historic sites and libraries to center Gen Z's perspectives. Dillon St. Bernard, the 25-year-old Youth250 documentary series director, said the campaign 'is about turning representation into power.' He emphasized the need to build intergenerational coalitions. Today's challenges — climate change, democracy and racial justice — haven't been solved by their predecessors, according to St. Bernard. 'We as a generation have known nothing but a house on fire and want to see what it would look like to stop that spread,' he said. ___ Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP's philanthropy coverage, visit
Associated Press
28-05-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Philanthropy wants to build Gen Z's confidence in institutions. Will youth empowerment foster trust?
NEW YORK (AP) — Perhaps the outlook developed when COVID-19's uncontrolled spread upended nearly every facet of their young lives. Maybe it was hardened as the worst of climate change's harms grew likelier despite scientists' stark warnings. It's possible the attitude even formed from early memories of the financial insecurity brought upon their families by the Great Recession. Whatever the reason, it's well documented that Gen Z tends to lack trust in the major institutions that previous generations expected to safeguard their futures. Around 1 in 10 adults under 30 had 'a great deal of confidence' in the people running the Supreme Court in an AP-NORC poll from June 2024. A May 2023 survey found 44% of adults under 30 had 'hardly any confidence at all' in those running banks and financial institutions — about twice the share of adults ages 60 and older, who felt the same way. The gap extends to other behaviors. An AP-NORC poll conducted in March found that only about one-quarter of adults under 30 volunteered their time to charity in the past year or provided non-financial support to people in their community, compared to 36% of those over 60. Younger adults were also more likely than older adults to say they or their household donated $0 to charity, according to the poll. The philanthropic sector is working to reverse any disillusionment by empowering Gen Z to make the structural change they so often seek. Born out of the idea that young people distrust institutions because they don't feel served or included, several initiatives are underway with hopes that more responsive institutions will be seen as more legitimate ones. Perhaps the most optimistic believe their energy can bring alternatives to the status quo to life — if only given meaningful roles. 'Young people -- we're not just victims of these systems. We have agency and we have power,' said Summer Dean, 27, who breaks down complex environmental topics into actionable information for the 116,000 followers of her Instagram, @climatediva. 'If you want to inspire us, actually include us in solid structures of your organization,' she added. DoSomething doesn't want to do just anything When DeNora Getachew became DoSomething CEO in April 2021 during the pandemic, she acknowledged the platform largely provided 'slacktivist' opportunities — or low-effort ways to support social causes online. DoSomething was not meeting the desires of its 13- to 25-year-old audience for more lasting community change. The nonprofit was founded in 1993 to boost youth volunteering. But Getachew said the 'new DoSomething' sees volunteerism as a 'step on the ladder' but not 'the top rung.' She pointed to a new program called Talking Trash that does more than just encourage volunteers to collect and recycle plastic bottles. Through educational campaigns and microgrants for select projects, DoSomething prompts members to think more deeply about improving their communities' overall waste management infrastructure. 'We're their cheerleader,' she said. 'We're the person who has their back and are helping them figure out how they tap into that, at least initial, sense of curiosity about what they can do.' Katelyn Knox, a 25-year-old former police officer, is part of the inaugural cohort of DoSomething 'binfluencers' who received $250 and peer support to improve local recycling systems. After moving from Florida to Los Angeles, Knox noticed many neighbors did not understand the guidelines for what is actually recyclable. Even if they did, she found that recycling bins were scarce. She decided to design an app that identifies which recyclables go where and brings door-to-door recycling services to her community. 'It is very hard to make change. You have to convince so many people to make this change -- especially people who are older than you,' Knox said. 'It's not so scary knowing that other people are with me and doing it right next to me in their own cities.' DoSomething brought together Knox and Dean to record a video educating college students about broken recycling systems. Dean, the environmental storyteller, said she's seen many young folks respond to overwhelming structural issues in one of two ways: accepting that they'll 'just have to learn to survive' or 'realizing that we can just really imagine a new system of being and governing.' 'A lot of us feel powerless at some point through all of this because there's many times where these systems make us feel like there is nothing we can do,' she said. 'I always just tell people to hold onto these heavy emotions because that is what moves you to take action and not feel so much like a victim.' One Silicon Valley entrepreneur's $10 million call LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman launched The Trust in American Institutions Challenge last December with philanthropic accelerator Lever for Change. The $10 million open call will scale local solutions to restore public confidence in anything from education and government to media and medicine. Hoffman, a 57-year-old Democratic megadonor, finds that philanthropy offers more opportunities 'for beginning the trust stuff.' He said that's because there are no conflicting interests other than the mission. The challenge is not focused solely on youth. Hoffman said that 'just about everybody' across the political spectrum can recognize society's trust issues. As he sees it, the problem isn't that institutions don't work for young people. They do work, according to Hoffman, and 'part of being young is learning that.' The idea, he added, 'is to reconnect and revivify.' 'We're like fish in water. We don't realize how important these institutions are to our ongoing environment,' Hoffman said. 'Revitalizing them is an important part of a society that works.' A semiquincentennial opportunity Another effort is connecting youth representatives with decision-makers to help civic institutions reach new generations ahead of the United States' 250th anniversary. Recognizing that today's teens and young adults are the ones who will inherit American democracy, Youth250 is passing the microphone to young people as the country reflects on its past and looks ahead to its future. Advisors are working with museums, historic sites and libraries to center Gen Z's perspectives. Dillon St. Bernard, the 25-year-old Youth250 documentary series director, said the campaign 'is about turning representation into power.' He emphasized the need to build intergenerational coalitions. Today's challenges — climate change, democracy and racial justice — haven't been solved by their predecessors, according to St. Bernard. 'We as a generation have known nothing but a house on fire and want to see what it would look like to stop that spread,' he said. ___ Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP's philanthropy coverage, visit
