A Democrat is a member of one of America’s two major political parties. Democrats are generally associated with more progressive policies, such as gun control, universal health care and environmental protection programs. They often support civil rights for minorities and other groups that are traditionally oppressed, and they are generally more supportive of abortion rights than Republicans.

The Democratic Party is founded on the philosophy of modern liberalism, which advocates economic and social equality and a welfare-base state. It supports governmental regulation of the economy to promote the interests of society, and it usually opposes government intervention in private noneconomic affairs of citizens. It also favors a safety net of government-funded programs and initiatives such as affordable college education, health care, consumer protection and environmental protection.

While most Democratic-aligned groups overwhelmingly support expanding the role of government, there are significant differences within this group on how big government should be. For example, Progressive Left is much more likely than other groups of Democrats to believe that systemic change is needed to combat racial inequality, while Establishment Liberals are less persuaded that this is necessary.

As a general rule, Democratic-aligned groups are more positive about the United States than Republican-aligned groups, and they are more apt to say that maintaining US military superiority is important. However, there are many areas of disagreement between these two groups, including the question of whether or not the United States should continue to be the dominant power in the world and the degree to which American exceptionalism is warranted.