More Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents identify as being liberal than have in the 15 years that Gallup has asked the question, the polling organization reported Thursday.
Forty-seven percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said they identify as both liberal on social issues and as moderate or liberal on fiscal matters.
That's compared to the 39 percent of respondents who said the same in 2008, and only 30 percent who did so in 2001.
Only 7 percent of Democrats said they view themselves as socially and economically conservative.
When Democrats and Democratic-leaners were asked strictly about their social views, 53 percent responded that they are socially liberal, up from 35 percent in 2001. Only 35 percent of Democrats said they were economically liberal, while 45 percent said they were economically moderate.
Gallup's Frank Newport wrote on what the shift to the ideological left means for Democratic presidential candidates eyeing the White House in 2016.
"Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton faces a more liberal base than she did when she last ran for president in 2008, and no doubt will be calibrating her positions accordingly," Newport said.
Former Secretary of State Clinton did exactly this on Thursday, finally coming out against the very international Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal that she helped broker and repeatedly touted as Secretary of State, The Hill reported.
The ideological shift in the electorate could explain why many progressives have thrown their support behind self-described democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who is also running for the Democratic presidential nomination on a far-left platform. Sanders has voiced strong opposition to the trade agreement and spoken out against Clinton's wealth, which he says makes her less able to connect to the middle class, according to CNN.
Recent polling data shows that Sanders is quickly gaining ground on Clinton in the key battleground state of New Hampshire, and that he is uniquely positioned to do well in Iowa as well, The Hill reported.
"Two other announced Democratic candidates -- former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and former Republican senator from Rhode Island Lincoln Chafee -- have taken liberal positions in the past," Newport continued. "In the 2016 election, they will be seeking to connect with the electorate on that basis, while also attempting to position themselves against Clinton on specific issues."
"One consideration for Democratic candidates is the fact that their party's base is somewhat more liberal on social issues than on economic issues, suggesting that candidates may need to temper their liberalism on the economy a little more than they do on their social positions," Newport said. "A second consideration for Democrat candidates, as always, is the need to be sensitive to the general election demands should they win their party's nomination. While 47% of their party base is socially liberal and either moderate or liberal on the economy, that same percentage among Republicans and Republican independents is only 7%, and some votes from the GOP will be necessary to win in November 2016."
