PRINCETON, N.J., Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Support for the Tea Party movement -- key in ushering conservatives into Congress in the past two elections -- is dipping among Americans, Gallup said Thursday.
Twenty-two percent of respondents said they support the Tea Party movement, matching the record low two years ago, poll results indicated.
Twenty-seven percent said they oppose the Tea Party movement, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said.
Slightly more than half of those asked -- 51 percent -- said they neither support nor oppose the Tea Party, or expressed no opinion.
A majority of Democrats described themselves as opponents of the political movement, results indicated. Rank-and-file Republicans more likely call themselves supporters than opponents of the Tea Party movement, but a significant number said they neither supported or opposed the movement.
Just as Republicans are mixed in their views of the Tea Party movement, Tea Party supporters expressed mixed views about the Republican Party, Gallup said.
Tea Party supporters have mixed views about the Republican Party: 55 percent said they have a favorable view of the GOP while 43 percent said they had an unfavorable view, results indicated.
Tea Party supporters and Republicans are aligned however, in their broadly unfavorable reaction to the Democratic Party.
Results are based on nationwide telephone interviews with 1,150 adults conducted Sept. 5-8. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.
