A Rasmussen Poll released on May 8 finds that 58% of American adults say it would be good for the United States to have a truly competitive third political party. Only 23% say it would not be good, and 19% are not sure.
Younger voters are most likely to support the idea. 65% of those under age 40 said a competitive third party would be good. By contrast, only 43% of those over age 65 said a competitive third party would be good for the country.
The overall percentage is in line with previous polls going back many years. I don’t know about the age difference; that might be new. It would be very interesting (but impossible) to know whether it is a “cohort effect” or an “age effect”. These are sociological terms; an “age effect” would imply that each generation gets more comfortable with the two party system as it gets older.
Another interesting question would be that since there
are currently 5 “National parties” would the same per-
centage hold up if there were 5 Competitive parties?
After all, people could in theory have all the bases
covered. Big vs. small goverment, socially conservative
or liberal would give voters 4 different choices with a
centrist (not sit at either pole) party being the fifth
choice. Within the last 10 years Canada HAS had up to
5 separate parties in Parliament. This could be a way
to develope a political structure to solve some of the
intractible problems in Congress. Besides with 3 or 4
or 5 competitive parties it would greatly increase the
possibility of the House, Senate & Presidency being in
the hands of different parties. Truly, the greatest way
to create a separation of powers. It coulld also make
for truly titanic battles on Cabinet or Supreme Court
nominations in the Senate.