国际英语资讯:Americans desire for major third party surges: poll_时事

国际英语资讯:Americans desire for major third party surges: poll

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- A majority of Americans now say the United States needs a third major party, according to a new poll issued Friday.

Currently, 57 percent of Americans say the two parties are not doing an adequate job of representing the American people, the Gallup's annual Governance poll shows, noting in 2008 and 2012, less than half of Americans favored a third party.

Among them, 73 percent of independent voters, 51 percent of Republicans and 43 percent of Democrats favor the formation of a third party, the poll finds.

Republicans' preference for a third party today ranks among the highest Gallup has found for a partisan group, along with a 52 percent reading among Republicans in 2013 and 50 percent for Democrats in 2006, according to the poll.

In 2008 and 2012, third-party presidential candidates received less than 2 percent of the popular vote for president. This year, third-party candidates are getting about 10 percent of the vote combined in presidential preference polls, said a Gallup poll analysis report.

The poll results come at a time when Americans' views of the Republican and Democratic parties are near historical lows, and when Americans hold highly negative opinions of both major-party presidential nominees.

In 2008 and 2012, Americans' favorable ratings of the parties were slightly more positive than today, but their favorable ratings of the presidential candidates were far better.