During last Monday’s Democratic Presidential debate, Senator Hillary Clinton indicated that she preferred to be called “progressive” rather than “liberal.” The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that is probably a good move--Americans are more receptive to the term progressive.

Just 20% said they consider it a positive description to call a candidate politically liberal while 39% would view that description negatively. However, 35% would consider it a positive description to call a candidate politically progressive. Just 18% react negatively to that term. Those figures reflect a huge swing, from a net negative of nineteen points to a net positive of 17 points.

On the other side of the ideological spectrum, being called politically conservative is considered a positive description by 32% and negative by 20%. It’s much better for a candidate to be described as being like Ronald Reagan—44% consider that a positive description and 25% negative. That swing is meaningful, but not as dramatic as the difference between liberal and progressive. Being called conservative generates a net 12 point positive response that jumps to 19 points when someone is said to be like Reagan.

There are more self-identified conservatives in the United States than self-identified liberals.

Describing someone as a political moderate is viewed positively by 29% and negatively by 12%.

Obviously, labels alone fail to define a candidate. This is especially true in the case of someone like Clinton who has been in the national spotlight for fifteen years. People already have strong opinions about the former First Lady, but it’s still important for her to establish the best possible presentation of her candidacy. For lesser known candidates, the brand label could be far more significant (recognizing, of course, that the most important brand in politics today remains party affiliation).

It must also be recognized that the labels themselves may be redefined in the public mind over the course of a campaign or series of campaigns. While being identified as politically liberal is a net negative in today’s world, that wasn’t always the case.

For some, it may seem strange to distinguish between a candidate who is like Reagan and a candidate who is politically conservative. But, that gap has arisen because the definition of conservative has been altered by the more recent GOP leadership in Congress and the White House. Also, of course, being compared to Reagan ascribes some personal characteristics that cannot be captured in an ideological label.

There are, of course, huge partisan differences for each of these terms. Among Democrats, 32% consider the description liberal as positive. That number jumps to 42% for the description of a candidate as progressive. Among Republicans, just 7% say the term liberal is a positive description, but that number jumps to 26% for the term progressive.

The term conservative is considered positive by 61% of Republicans, 15% of Democrats, and 24% of those not affiliated with either major party.

Saying a candidate is like Reagan is considered positive by 74% of Republicans, 20% of Democrats, and 41% of those not affiliated with either major party.

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