Politics has taken a different turn in recent years. While people used to feel that they could trust democracy to do the right thing, these feelings have dramatically changed, and most Americans now feel democracy is dead.
There are a few reasons, with Republicans and Democrats completely switching their opinions in the last few years. People from other countries also agree that American democracy is no longer an excellent example of what democracy should look like.
The U.S. Used to Be a Good Example of Democracy
The most commonly held opinion in this survey was that the U.S. used to be a good example of democracy, which is an opinion that 72% of Americans hold. These people believe that democracy in the U.S. hasn’t been as good as it used to be in the last few years.
In comparison, just 8% of those surveyed believe that the U.S. has never been a good example of democracy, with 19% believing that it is still a good example.
Democrats vs Republicans
The party people most closely affiliate themselves with tends to sway voters’ opinion on whether the U.S. is a good example of democracy. However, Democrat’s and Republican’s views have changed in the last few years.
22% of Democrats and 17% of Republicans believe the U.S. is a good example of democracy. Despite this, in February 2021, the opposite was true, as 16% of Democrats and 24% of Republicans believed that U.S. democracy was good.
Age Matters in Democracy
According to a different survey, age matters regarding opinions on democracy. In this survey, 73% of voters said that democracy is the best system, with only 13% disagreeing with this statement.
However, the main difference was in age. Of the voters aged 18 to 35, only 53% are pro-democracy, and 25% are skeptical about it. Compared to voters aged 65 and older, 89% are pro-democracy, with just 6% being skeptical.
Registered vs. Unregistered Voters
There also appears to be a difference in opinion between registered and unregistered voters. 21% of registered voters see U.S. democracy as a good example, compared to 13% of unregistered voters.
There is no exact reason why this might be, but it is an interesting look into people’s thoughts and opinions depending on their voter status.
Canadians Don’t Believe in American Democracy
Just over the northern part of the U.S. border, Canadians now say that they don’t believe in American democracy. Two-thirds believe the U.S. won’t survive if Donald Trump gets another four years in office.
This poll was taken before Joe Biden had to drop out of the presidential race. Still, at that time, 53% of Canadians believed that it would be more beneficial for Canada if Biden had a second term as President, whereas 18% thought it would be better if Trump became President.
Other Countries View U.S. Democracy Poorly
It’s not just Canada that views U.S. democracy negatively; plenty of other countries also have the same opinion. 34 countries were surveyed, and the majority responded that U.S. democracy isn’t a good example.
France and Mexico were the most critical, as 40% of people from both countries believe that the U.S. isn’t a good example of democracy. Meanwhile, 60% of respondents from Germany, the UK, and Japan believe that while the U.S. used to be a good example of democracy, this is no longer the case.
Political Events Have Tainted People’s Views
One of the main reasons people are losing their faith in U.S. democracy is due to various political events and incidents over the last few years. The most recent was the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.
There was also the issue of Trump being the first convicted felon to run for U.S. President and Biden’s struggles when answering questions and taking part in debates, which eventually led to him pulling out of his re-run for President.
Bernie Sanders Democracy Warning
It’s not just ordinary citizens concerned about the state of U.S. democracy. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has issued a stark warning about the potential state of democracy in the states.
Sanders warned that the U.S. would likely become an oligarchy due to three major institutional investors holding all the power. BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street have trillions of dollars of wealth and are significant shareholders in 500 U.S. companies.
A Reduced Ballot Vote
One issue many people are having is that since 2010, there have been continuing efforts from state legislatures to try and limit voters’ access to the ballot, which has a significant impact on the types of people who vote and the people who end up being voted in.
There have also been efforts to politicize election administration and to foreclose electoral competition through extreme gerrymandering. This has people worried about the state the U.S. will be in over the next few years and beyond.
Democracy Decline Is Slow
Many people believe that if politicians wanted to eliminate democracy, it would happen quickly, and no one would have a say in how or why it happened. However, this isn’t how it works.
Democracy’s decline is slow on purpose. This is in the hope that voters don’t realize a decline in democracy until it is too late and not much more can be done about it.
Democrat’s Warnings on Democracy
The Democrats are currently in power in the U.S., but there is a worry that Donald Trump could beat them in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. This has led Democrats to issue a stark warning to Americans regarding democracy.
Instead of saying it is a vote on taxes or healthcare, they have pitched the election as being a vote between continuing as a republic or having a dictatorship, with voters’ decisions making all the difference.
