Just 1 in 10 Americans Believe Democracy Working Well for US, Poll Finds

A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs research on Friday revealed a disparaging truth about democracy in America.

Only about one in 10 American adults can give democracy in the US a high rating, and believe it is representing the interests of most citizens, according to a new poll.

A majority of respondents say US law and policies are doing a poor job of representing what most Americans want, especially on topics regarding the economy, gun policies, immigration issues and abortion.

The poll reveals that 53% of Americans believe Congress is doing a bad job of upholding democratic values, compared to the slim 16% who say it is doing a good job.

Overall, 49% of Americans say democracy is not working well in the US, compared with 10% who say it is working “very” or “extremely well,” and 40% who say it is working “somewhat well.”

“I don’t think either of them is doing a good job just because of the state of the economy — inflation is killing us,” said Michael Brown, 45, who is a compensation adjuster and father of two in Bristol, Connecticut. “Right now I’m making as much as I ever have, and I’m struggling as much as I ever have.”

“They’re fighting over something, and it has nothing to do with the economy,” Brown, who is a moderate Republican, said of Congress.

“Hunter Biden — what does that have to do with us?” he asked, in reference to the GOP-controlled House’s investigation of US President Joe Biden’s son.

The poll also revealed that a whopping 71% of Americans believe laws and policies should reflect what a majority of Americans want, but only 48% think that this is true in practice.

For those who were asked if the Constitution should be important when thinking about how laws and policies are made in the United States, just 68% said it “should be important,” while 55% said it is “actually important.”

Meanwhile, 53% of Americans who responded to the poll said their views, and the views of people like them, are not being represented well by the government. Just 35% said those views were represented somewhat well and 12% said “very or extremely well.”

In terms of political parties, about 6 in 10 Republicans and Independents feel as though the government is not representing people like them well, compared with about 4 in 10 Democrats.

The poll also revealed that Americans are not as concerned with voting laws and the way in which ballots are counted and recorded, and are more concerned with the results of democracy. But allies of former US President Donald Trump have been persistent in spreading misinformation surrounding his claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, and even pushing lawsuits to some of that effect.

“In California, I kind of feel that I throw my vote away every time, and this is just what you get,” said Mark Short, 63, a retired businessman and a Republican.