Political conservatives continue to outnumber moderates and liberals, according to a Gallup poll released Monday.Forty percent of Americans surveyed described their political ideology as conservative, while 36 percent said their views are moderate and 20 percent said liberal, the poll found.
The findings reportedly mark a shift from 2005 to 2008, when the number of moderates was even with conservatives as the most dominant group.
The results, based on 16 Gallup surveys conducted from January to September 2009, also show a greater number of Americans who express conservative positions on specific issues when compared to findings from 2008.
The survey found that 45 percent of Americans said there is too much government regulation of business and industry when asked in September -- an increase from 38 percent in September 2008. A higher percentage of Americans -- 42 percent -- also said labor unions should have less influence -- a 10-point jump from August 2008.
The poll, which surveyed 16,321 adults, had a margin of error of 1 percentage point. Respondents were interviewed on land-line telephones and cellular phones.
Click here to see the full poll results.