What is the difference between Liberal vs Democrat?

The term “Democrat” refers to members of the Democratic Party and “Liberal” is a political philosophy. Democrats are generally believed to be in favor of liberalism and its ideas of social justice and equality. However, this is not always the case. The philosophies, ideals and policies of the Democrats and Republicans change over time. For example, in the 19th century the Republican Party was anti-federalist and favored more government regulation but now advocates that taxes shouldn’t be increased on anyone and that wages should be set by free market forces.

Similarly, the Democrats once split over how far to go on certain issues, such as abortion, same-sex marriage and legalizing marijuana. Now, most Democrats are in agreement that the economy is unfairly biased toward big businesses and corporations, that there is a need to raise minimum wages and that more should be done to reduce racial inequality and help nonwhites get ahead. They also agree that the U.S. should be more friendly with its allies in foreign policy.

The new Pew Research Center Political Typology finds that while the share of Democratic voters holding consistently liberal views has increased over time, it remains smaller than the share of Republicans taking consistent conservative positions. Over the past 20 years, Democrats have become more uniform on issues like abortion, the minimum wage and immigration. The political landscape is shifting and it is becoming harder to find middle ground.