The latest polling data from Gallup shows that while the percentage of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who describe themselves as social and economic conservatives has shrunk in recent years, this group still dominates the party. The current percentage of social+economic conservatives in the GOP is 42 percent, down from 57 percent in 2012, and back into a range last seen during the first five years of the George W. Bush presidency. The next largest group within GOP supporters are the social and economic moderates/liberals, at 24 percent, followed by those who are social moderates/liberals and economic conservatives (20 percent).  Members of the party who are social conservatives with economically moderate/liberal views constitute the smallest subset at just 10 percent. As the Gallup data indicates: The percentage of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who are conservative on both social and economic issues rises steadily with age. An...(Read Full Post)