Data Disputes David Ellison’s ‘70% Centrist’ Claim as Basis for Paramount Skydance Editorial Strategy

Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison claims 70% of Americans are centrist, but major surveys from Pew and Gallup show the true figure is closer to 40%.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 7, 2026, 3:42 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from The Guardian

The 70% Figure as a Corporate North Star

David Ellison, the chief executive of Paramount Skydance, has integrated a specific statistic into his public identity as a media mogul: the belief that 70% of Americans are politically centrist. During an appearance on CNBC in early March, Ellison argued that his news properties—including CBS News and potentially CNN—must prioritize this "silent majority." This rhetorical pillar serves as the foundation for his collaboration with Bari Weiss and his goal to move away from the increasingly partisan leanings of modern cable and broadcast news.

Polling Data Contradicts Executive Estimates

Despite Ellison’s repeated use of the 70% figure, a review of recent public opinion data presents a much more polarized picture of the American electorate. A YouGov survey published in January 2026 found that only 40% of U.S. citizens identify with centrist labels. Similarly, Pew Research data from 2025 places that number at 41%, while Gallup’s most recent findings on political independents peak at 45%. These figures suggest that Ellison may be overestimating his primary target audience by nearly 30 percentage points, or roughly 75 million adults.

The Reality of Partisan Identification

While Ellison frames the vast majority of the country as unmapped territory for neutral programming, current data indicates that the majority of Americans remain firmly attached to the two-party system. According to 2025 Gallup data, 54% of Americans identify directly as Democrats or Republicans. When including "leaners" who consistently vote with one party, Pew Research finds that the partisan block swells to 59%. This leaves a significantly smaller "purple" audience than the one Ellison described to reporters in August and again at a Bloomberg conference in October.