Disclaimer: The survey reported on was commissioned by the DNC and executed by Gabe McKenna in his capacity as Engagement and Recruitment Officer and Kyouko Chan in her capacity as temporary Engagement and Recruitment Officer. This survey was conducted in late October 2020.

Continuing with its regular surveys, members of the Democratic Party underwent yet again an extensive assessment comprised of 9 detailed questions, concerning 3 key areas: Regarding the Party, Engagement Feedback, and Approval Ratings.

Regarding the Party

Checking back and getting a fresh snapshot of the demographical makeup of the party was important this time around as well. Trends from the first two surveys largely held up, although the survey takers trended younger than previously, with half of participants having been Democrats for less than a month. About half had previous or current leadership experience. The shifts seem to be partially due to a lower participation in this survey than previous ones.

The previously increased positive opinion of the party seems to have held up, with all members either fully or somewhat approving of the party! This is a strong testament to the longevity of the work done within the party, and a hopeful sign for the leadership of the once embattled institution.

Like the last times, respondents were also asked to select words from a list to describe the party. Multiple choices were allowed. A few changes in perception were certainly due to the smaller sample size, but overall the results are still notable. All respondents described the party as Friendly and Well-organized, while a majority described it as Active, Progressive, Liberal, Trustworthy and Inclusive. Generally the perception of the party has continued to be positive, with few complaints being lodged against the management and community. However, a notable shift in ideological perception has occurred, with only 20% viewing the party as Moderate anymore. The Democratic Party, perhaps through its own ideological makeup, its leaders, or its alliances with the Socialist Party, appears to have moved further left in the eyes of its own members. Whether this shift, or any other changes, are permanent, will only be evident in the next survey, or even further down the line.

Engagement Feedback

Again members were asked to state and rate their experience with everything going on in the party, from the Lottery, the Auction, and even plain Donating.

The big winners were the Auction and Donating, which engaged at least half of the membership and gaining huge approvals. In general while not all members engaged with the activities provided, those that did had largely positive experiences. Still, work remains to be done to engage more members and build out the Democratic Party’s social profile

Approval Ratings

In many ways the most exciting and nerve wrecking part of any politician’s career are approval ratings. It is the most direct feedback to get: hard numbers. In this survey no one was left unjudged, every member of the party leadership, the Senators, the Speaker, the DNC as well as the party and DNC overall were examined. Again previous ratings were also contrasted with the new ones. We note that we focused on comparing individuals rating across both surveys rather than positions since several have been newly filled.

Party Leadership

New House Leader Chan* and new again-Senate Leader Morales were highly approved of, gaining 100% and 70% approving or somewhat approving respectively. Deputy House Leader Chuck* held steadfast upon his previous 91% approval, getting 90% in this survey. Both him and House Leader Chan retained the faith of the party. With a new whipping team in place, again-Chief Whip Graves, Deputy Whip Alex, and Deputy Whip Someone, got 100%, 40%, and 90% approving or somewhat approving respectively. Notably Mr. Morales previously received 92% approval as a Senator, and Mr. Graves, who has previously served as Chief Whip, regained his prior approval rating following a dip in approval as Speaker of the House.

* This person is also a voting member of the DNC

DNC

Party Chair Gabe McKenna holds relatively steady with 100% approving or somewhat approving, a miniscule dip from his 100% full approval rating from the previous survey. Kyouto Chan and Chuck hold 100% and 90% approval for their total service, while Vice Chair and long-serving DNC member Hull received 80% approval, continuing his rising from the last survey. The one DNC member whose approval decreased is Rockefeller, who now only has 30% approval, a further 15% decrease from the last survey. New member Loulou starts out strong, with 90% approving or somewhat approving of the new addition.

Hard work and activity seems to be paying off for members of the DNC especially, but overall there seems to be continued excitement around the leading figures in the party.

Overall

While there was talk of the rise in approval of the party being temporary, caused by excitement and a few electoral successes, this 3rd survey shows the boost in confidence seems to hold for now, if not even increase. The party holds its 100% approving or somewhat approving number from the previous survey, while the DNC increased its approval from 83% to 100%!

The action, resolve, and initiative taken by many in the party, leadership or not, that made the Democratic Party a comeback story seems to persist, making this more than a one-hit-wonder. These numbers certainly spell out a hopeful future for Democrats.