A record 45 percent of Americans now call themselves political independents rather than Republicans or Democrats, and the youngest adults are leading the shift away from party labels.

Have you taken your place on the wall?

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From The National Pulse:

According to a Gallup survey of more than 13,000 U.S. adults, 45 percent of Americans identified politically as Independents in 2025. This is higher than the previous high of 43 percent recorded in 2014, 2023, and 2024.

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Over the same period, the share of Americans identifying as Republican or Democrat declined relative to Independents. In 2025, 27 percent of Americans identified as Republican and 27 percent identified as Democrat. In contrast, 34 percent of U.S. adults identified as Republican and 34 percent identified as Democrat in 2004, compared with 31 percent who identified as Independent.

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Whereas 56 percent of Gen Z Americans identified as Independents, only 30 percent of Silent Generation Americans did. Millennials followed Gen Z as the most Independent generation at 54 percent, while 42 percent of Gen X and only 33 percent of Baby Boomers identify as Independent.

Being independent doesn’t mean these Americans have no convictions. According to Gallup’s numbers, nearly half of independents describe themselves as moderate. Among the rest, 27 percent call themselves conservative and 24 percent call themselves liberal. The two parties look very different: 77 percent of Republicans identify as conservative, while 59 percent of Democrats identify as liberal. The National Pulse concludes that many Americans still care deeply about politics but have grown alienated from the parties themselves.

Few independents stay neutral when it comes to voting. Gallup found that the 45% of political independents break down into 20% Democratic leaners, 15% Republican leaners, and 10% non-leaners. Gallup also cautioned that these party shifts do not indicate that Americans are warming to the Democratic Party. Instead, it suggested that a negative view of the sitting president tends to push weakly attached independents toward the opposition. For the next generation, the trend is striking. Only 17 percent of Gen Z adults identify as Republican, and 27 percent identify as Democrat. Many young Americans are still deciding where they stand, which makes them especially open to persuasion and especially in need of truth.

Let’s pray for the young Americans who are rejecting the old labels, that they would find their identity in Christ rather than in a party or a cultural movement. Let’s pray that churches and families would disciple this generation boldly in God’s Word on life, marriage, justice, and liberty, so that their convictions rest on Scripture and not on the passing currents of culture. Let’s pray for leaders in both parties to govern with the integrity that rebuilds lost trust. Above all, let’s pray for a spiritual awakening among Gen Z that would shape the nation’s future far more than any election.

How are you praying for the younger generation’s political and spiritual direction? Share your prayers and scriptures in the comments.

(Excerpt from The National Pulse. Photo Credit: Douglas Rissing/Getty Images)