While the percentage of people who say they support the tea party is holding steady, those who say they oppose it has hit an all-time high.
The data, released by Gallup, reflects the more limited impact it had on the primary elections this year, compared to 2010. Of those surveyed, 31 percent say they oppose it, compared to 21 percent who say they support the tea party.
Those who oppose the tea party are stronger in their opposition when compared to how passionately supporters say they support it.
From Gallup:
“Gallup has asked about Tea Party support in five surveys conducted over the past year, consisting of more than 6,000 interviews, with 18% of adults in that large sample saying they are Tea Party Republicans, 25% who are Republicans who do not support the Tea Party, and 58% who are not Republicans.
“Overall, 77% of Tea Party Republicans are conservative, including 28% who say they are very conservative. That presents a sharp contrast with the 52% of non-Tea Party Republicans who are conservative, including only 10% who classify themselves as very conservative.”
