Seventy-nine percent of Republicans think Donald Trump has changed the Republican Party. Of those that say he’s changed the GOP, 83 percent perceive the change as positive, according to a new Pew Research report.
By contrast, among the 67 percent of Democrats who think Trump’s changed the GOP, 72 percent see the change as negative.
Republicans are also more likely to say the GOP represents their interests in the latest poll than they were in polls conducted before Election Day.
In September, 87 percent of Republicans felt that the GOP represented their interests. That sentiment has jumped by 6 percentage points since then to 93 percent in the latest poll. Among those in the survey that say they lean Republican, that feeling has jumped by 16 points, from 57 percent in September to 73 percent in December.
Optimism about the future of the GOP has also become more widespread among Republicans. About 6 in 10 Republicans reported feeling optimistic about the future of the GOP in a November pre-election poll by Pew. The optimism has spread to 8 in 10 Republicans in the latest post-election poll.
Pew surveyed 4,183 American adults through live interviews conducted over landlines and cellphones Nov. 29 through Dec. 12.