Poll: Independent Identification Increases, Democrats Drop, Republicans Hold Steady

A new poll from the Pew Research Center gauging the public's reaction to the 2010 general elections finds a drop in the number of self-identified Democrats and a slight rise in the number of Independents.  Asked if they consider themselves Republicans, Democrats or Independents, 37% of respondents stated that they are Independents, compared with 30% who identified themselves as Democrats, and 26% who said they are Republicans.  According to Pew's polls, Republican identification has hovered in the mid-20% range for virtually the entire year, while Democratic identification has remained in the low-30% range.  Independent identification, on the other hand, has consistently remained in the high-30% range, and scored the highest percentage of any political label at the beginning of the year, when 42% of respondents stated that they were Independents. 

Among the poll's most ironic findings, it turns out that compromise is a fairly divisive issue in the United States.  Americans do not agree on the question of whether politicians should stick to their positions or seek compromise.  From the poll:

The public is divided about the value of political compromise. While 42% say that they most admire political leaders who make compromises, 45% say they most admire political leaders who stick to their positions without compromising.
There are partisan differences in views about whether political leaders should compromise. A majority of Republicans say they most admire politicians who stick to their positions, rather than make compromises (55% vs. 33%). These opinions are little changed from September.
Democrats are now evenly divided – 46% prefer political leaders who make compromises while 45% prefer leaders who stick to their positions. In September, more favored politicians who compromise over those who stick to their positions (by 54% to 39%). 
About half (49%) of independents admire political leaders who make compromises with people they disagree with, while 40% admire politicians who stick to their positions without compromising. Two months ago, a majority of independents (53%) said they preferred politicians who stick to their positions over those who compromise (40%).