Republicans May Not Be As Close To Their Democrat Friends As They Think, Poll Suggests

Republicans are more likely to be friendly with members of the opposite political party than Democrats are, according to an NBC News survey released Friday morning.

The newly released poll found that over 8 in ten Republicans, or 82%, said they are “close” friends with at least one Democrat. Meanwhile, 64% of Democrats said they have at least one “close friend” who is a member of the opposite party, the survey found.

NBC News’ survey showed that 87% of respondents who said they were “moderate” Republicans responded that they have a close Democratic friend, while 79% of self-identified “conservative” Republican voters said the same. Moreover, 78% of “moderate” Democrats said they have a close GOP friend, compared with just 57% of “liberal” Democrats, according to the poll.

Of voters who were identified as “core” Republican supporters, 77% said they have a close friend who is a Democrat, while 90% of “soft” GOP voters said the same, according to the survey. Moreover, 57% of “core” Democratic voters said they have a close pal in the opposite party, while 73% of “soft” Democrats responded the same way, the poll found.

A Pew Research Center survey published on July 23 found that 46% of Americans identify with or lean toward the GOP, while 45% are affiliated with or lean Democrat. Men are now 12 percentage points more likely than women to be affiliated with the Republican Party, and women were 12 points more likely than men to be involved with the Democratic Party, according to the same survey.