What Percent Of Journalists Are Registered Democrats

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Survey: 7 percent of reporters identify every bit Republican

The number of journalists identifying themselves as Republican has experienced a significant drop in the past eleven years, a new survey found.

The percentage of full-time U.S. journalists who claim to be Republican dropped from 18 percent in 2002 to 7.1 percent in 2013, according to a study by Indiana University professors Lars Willnat and David H. Weaver. In 1971, the first time the survey was conducted (this is its fifth incarnation), some 25.7 pct of journalists polled said the identified as Republican.

The number of journalists identifying as independent is at 50.2 percent, the highest percentage since the survey began, and the number identifying every bit Democrat dropped to 28.1 percent. Of those polled, fourteen.6 percent identified as "other." That means near 65 pct of journalists polled don't identify with either of the major parties.

The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza notes 2 caveats to those numbers: The first, is that the study is among all reporters, non only political reporters whose party identification may be a lot different. 2d, "the motion toward independent status amidst reporters is in keeping with a similar movement in the broader electorate as they find the ii parties increasingly rigid and, therefore, less welcoming."

We'll add some other – the parties of today are much different than those in the 1970s. Additionally, with everyone's information readily available through a quick online search, it'south no surprise journalists would be more willing to stay in the "contained" lane rather than risk being called bias based on their political amalgamation.

Some other interesting tidbits from the survey: Nearly 60 percentage of those surveyed recollect journalism in the U.Southward. is heading in the wrong management; job satisfaction has dropped from a quick superlative in 2002 to simply 23.3 percent of journalists saying they are "very satisfied" in their jobs; and only 12.i percent notice reaching the widest audience possible "extremely of import."

Meanwhile, the number of journalists who consider their office to be "investigating authorities claims" is at its highest nevertheless, with 78.2 percent finding that aspect of their jobs "extremely important."

The study was conducted via online interviews with one,080 reporters betwixt August and Dec 2013.

Check out the full study here.