AP-NORC poll 2023 : About Democracy In The United States
Only 1 in 10 Americans rate the way democracy is working in the United States or how well it represents the interests of the majority of Americans, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Most adults say that US laws and policies do a poor job of representing what most Americans want on issues ranging from the economy and government spending to gun policy, immigration and abortion.
The survey shows that 53% say the Congress is doing a bad job of upholding democratic values, while only 16% say it is doing a good job.
The findings reflect widespread political alienation as a polarized country emerges from the pandemic and embarks on a recovery path.
Fear of inflation and recession. In interviews, respondents worried less about the machinery of democracy – voting laws and the tabulation of ballots – and more about the output.
Overall, nearly half the country – 49% – say democracy is not working well in the United States, compared to 10%. % who say it is doing very or very well and 40% say it is doing only somewhat well.
Nearly half also say that each political party is doing a poor job of maintaining democracy, including 47% who say the same about Democrats and even more – 56% – about Republicans.
“I don’t think any of them are doing a good job just because of the state of the economy — inflation is killing us,” said Michael Brown, a 45-year-old workers’ compensation adjuster and father of two in Bristol, Connecticut.
“Right now. I’m earning as much as I’ve ever made, and I’m struggling as much as I’ve ever been.” A self-described moderate Republican, Brown has since learned the United States has fallen behind on its democratic promise.
In high school, the Electoral College allows someone who doesn’t win a majority of the national vote to become president.
But now he’s especially frustrated with Congress, because its passion doesn’t reflect the will of the people.
“They’re fighting over something, and it has nothing to do with the economy,” Brown said, highlighting the GOP-controlled House’s scrutiny of President Joe Biden’s son.
What’s the deal?” he asked. The poll shows that 53% of Americans who say the views of “people like you” are not well represented by government, 35% say they are Somewhat well and 12% represent very or very well.
Nearly 6 in 10 Republicans and independents think the government is not representing people like them well, while nearly 4 in 10 Democrats believe so. Karlin Kiesling, a University of Michigan researcher who participated in the poll, sees troubling signs all around her.
A Democrat, she recently moved to a conservative area outside the liberal campus hub of Ann Arbor, and is concerned that conspiracy theorists who believe former President Donald Trump’s lie that he won the 2020 election are eyeing the polls. Will appear as keepers.
Members of his Republican family no longer identify with the party and are limiting their political engagement.
Kiessling researches the intersection of public health and politics and looks at many other ways to participate in a democracy besides voting – from being active in a political party to speaking at a local government meeting.
But he fears the increased partisan filth is driving people away from these important outlets.
“I think people are less willing to get involved because it’s become more controversial,” Kiesling, 29, said. This creates a situation of isolation at the national level.
She certainly feels something when she sees what comes out of Washington. Kiesling said, “When you have a base that thinks a minority of ordinary Americans, but they are the loudest voice in the room, politicians listen to them.” Polarization has pushed some states into single-party dominance.
That has alienated people like Mark Short, a Republican who lives in Dana Point, California. “In California, I feel like throwing away my vote every time, and that’s all you get,” said Short, a 63-year-old retired businessman.
The survey shows that the vast majority of Americans – 71% – think that what most Americans want should be highly important when creating laws and policies, but only 48% think this is actually true in practice.
And views are even more negative when it comes to specific issues: Nearly two-thirds of adults say policies on immigration, government spending, abortion policy and gun policy do not represent the views of most Americans, and nearly The same goes for the economy as well as gender identity and LGBTQ+ issues.
More than half also say the policies poorly reflect what Americans want on health care and the environment.
Joseph Derito, an 81-year-old retired baker in Elmyra, New York, sees immigration policy as not representing the views of the majority of Americans. “Government today is for people who have nothing – many of them are able to work but they get help,” said Derito,
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