Poll suggests Democratic voters are more engaged than Republicans

A new poll conducted by George Washington University released Wednesday suggests Democratic voters are more engaged in multiple respects than Republican voters ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.

Forty-six percent of Democrats polled said they used social media to share an opinion, while 37 percent of Republicans said they did the same, according to an analysis of the poll published by The Washington Post.

{mosads}Forty-two percent of Democrats said they had spoken to anyone about how to vote, while 33 percent of Republicans said they too had spoken with people on the subject, according to the Post.

The poll also found that Democratic voters were more active in campaign activities such as attending rallies, displaying campaign merchandise, and making donations. 

However, 25 percent Republicans surveyed said they had been contacted by a political party, while 24 percent of Democrats said the same.

“But in two respects, the poll suggests some Democratic advantages that are less visible on the surface,” wrote John Sides, a co-director of the poll, in the Post. “Democratic voters remain more politically engaged than Republican voters on several dimensions — including their willingness to do the spadework of an election campaign. And Democratic incumbents in the House are perceived more positively than Republican incumbents. Whether that will add up to a veritable ‘wave’ remains to be seen.”

The poll comes as Democrats look to make gains in the House and Senate in the midterm elections in November. 

Tuesday saw primaries in Virginia, South Carolina, Nevada and Maine, with primary victories for female candidates in Democratic races and support for President Trump being a test among Republican primary voters. 

The GW politics poll was conducted from May 14 to 30 among 3,150 registered voters. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.