PRINCETON, N.J., Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Republicans have become less enthusiastic about the 2012 presidential election, with fewer saying they're interested in voting in November, a survey indicates.
Enthusiasm among voters generally relates to the eventual election outcome in midterm and presidential election years, the Gallup organization says. Enthusiasm among Republicans and Republican-leaning Independents about voting in next year's presidential election had decreased to 49 percent from 58 percent in September, a Gallup poll released Friday indicates.
Essentially, this shows a narrowing gap between them and Democrats, 44 percent of whom have maintained the same enthusiasm about voting since September.
The Republican enthusiasm voting level has dipped with the result that the enthusiasm gap between Republicans and Democrats is narrowing significantly, Gallup says.
The results indicate a more level electoral playing field than there was two months ago, the poll indicates.
The telephone poll was conducted Nov. 28-Dec.1 based on interviews with 1,012 adults divided between 464 Republicans and Republican-leaning Independents and 437 Democrats and Democratic-leaning Independents, aged 18 and older, from all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The margin of error is 6 percentage points.
