The number of people who say they are Republican or leaning Republican is down, down to 36 percent in Pew Research Center polls.

NPR: Conservatively Speaking, Things Look Bad

Polls back him up: Pew finds that Americans still think the federal government controls too much of their lives.

ECONOMIST: Government v market in America

Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Centre, sees a parallel with 1981, when polls showed high approval for Reagan coupled with anxiety about his policies, such as cuts to Social Security (government-funded pensions) and welfare.

ECONOMIST: Government v market in America