In general, do you prefer the Democratic Party of today, or the Democrats of previous decades?

Democrats today (28%) – "The Democratic Party of today is a pretty wide umbrella, but I strongly prefer the modern forward thinking Progressive branch of it. Parts of the party are too center/conservative but overall show far more compassion to all than the GOP does."

• "I voted this way because the rights of women and many minority groups are threatened by Republican officials."

Democrats in previous decades (50%) – "I prefer both Republicans and Democrats of yesterday. There wasn't a huge difference between them back then. Now, both parties have gone off the rails. I voted for Trump, however, in the last election (first time), because the Left is just way, way too extreme for me. Calling anyone who doesn't agree with them racist, misogynist, and xenophobic is ridiculous, and untrue. People are afraid to have different opinions because they'll be labeled in this manner. Online, they call people uneducated, stupid, and racist repeatedly, and it's echoed in left leaning news and by politicians. Enough is enough."

• "The Democratic Party used to be for the working class. It used to be for peace internationally and not political control and international power. Today the rich are supporting the Democratic Party while the common person of the growing middle class and small business owners are not supported by this party’s public policy. It has been, as of late, divisive toward those who have different opinions on gender, race, etc… rather than inclusive of all opinions and actually supportive of all people."

"We need a two-party system for a reason—it helps create balance. The country's needs often fall somewhere between the two major ideologies. Historically, the Democratic Party has focused on addressing the needs of the people, championing efforts like social reforms and safety nets for the poor. However, in recent years, the party has shifted its focus toward identity politics and "woke" concepts, often criticizing those who don't align with its more extreme views. This approach hasn't benefited anyone and has pushed voters away from their platform, as reflected in this year's election results."

• "The problem with the current Democratic Party is exactly that, they no longer align with those they say they support. I’ve dug myself out of the lower middle class and I’m doing really well. I did this without medical insurance, paying the high cost of higher education, and with a really poor public school education. I was able to do this because where I lived was affordable and had jobs for people in my position. Those don’t exist anymore. Yet the message from Democrats hasn’t changed. The hard truth for many people to hear is that affordable housing and a better economy is far more important for upward mobility than a lot of the social programs pitched by the Democrats of today. Democrats should go back to FDR’s programs. Use government spending on large public works to supply jobs and better infrastructure to impoverished areas."

"Democrats today have lost their way. Focus on things like DEI and woke agenda rather than what most Americans care about. Those are the things the new Republican Party has focused on and that is why there has been a shift. Immigration, inflation, crime. Dems and legacy media think Americans are stupid."

Unsure/other (22%) – "I've been watching the Democrats for the last couple decades and I've not seen a great shift during that time. Rather, I've witnessed party leaders tell us they know better, "we need to pass it so we can read it" (as Pelosi once said of the Affordable Care Act), and make every discussion about class, race, or sex. I've seen these policies reduce my wealth (even when I was a low income earner) and reduce my freedoms. They appear condescending, racist and sexist, and obsessed with victimizing everyone but white men. But have they always been this way? Is this the party of JFK and FDR? I wasn't alive then, I really don't know."

• "I don't really like the Democratic party of today but I'm too young to really have a good understanding of the what the Democratic party used to be."