Growing Portions of Americans Now Believe Democracy ‘No Longer Viable System’ - Poll

A new poll from the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics shows shifting views on democracy, freedom of speech and political violence in the country.

As the United States continues to experience a major institutional crisis, a new survey shows declining support for concepts often claimed to be fundamental values of the country.

The new poll, released this month, shows almost a third of former US President Donald Trump’s supporters agree with the statement that “democracy is no longer a viable system” within the intensely polarized country, and that “America should explore alternative forms of government to ensure stability and progress.” Almost a quarter of President Joe Biden’s supporters endorsed the statement.

Even greater numbers of the two candidates’ supporters would favor “blue” or “red” states aligned with their beliefs “seceding from the union to form their own separate country.” The tally on the statement came down to 41% of Trump backers supporting the idea while 30% of Biden supporters followed suit.

The poll finds that intense political polarization drives such beliefs: 47% of Trump supporters think the Democratic Party is “a threat to the American way of life,” while 52% of Biden supporters believe Republicans are. Many Americans (38% of Trump backers and 41% of Biden supporters) even endorsed the long-stigmatized idea of political violence as an acceptable response to prevent supporters of the opposing party from “achieving their goals.”

“We're… seeing people, whether it be politicians, or people in certain media outlets really start talking about violence,” said political science professor David McLennan in response to the surprising findings. “So I think what it is, is a reflection of the culture.”

Legal scholar Rick Hasen agreed, calling the findings “really troubling” in their demonstration of support for proposals considered authoritarian or unconstitutional.

On the issue of freedom of expression, large numbers of supporters of each candidate also support the regulation or restriction of “views considered discriminatory or offensive:” 47% of Biden supporters think the government should be tasked with this duty, and 35% of Trump supporters do.

Many went even further, agreeing that “it is necessary to limit certain rights, like freedom of speech, to protect the feelings and safety of marginalized groups.” Again, the idea received more support from liberal respondents, with 31% of Biden backers endorsing the statement versus a quarter of Trump supporters doing so.

The findings come as online regulation of content on social media has emerged as a significant and highly controversial concern in Western countries.

Amidst the polarization, there do appear to be some areas of greater consensus on issues of policy however. Fifty-six percent of Biden supporters believe “all wealth above a certain limit should be redistributed to address income inequality,” while a full 39% of Trump supporters believe the same. The finding aligns with recent polling regarding the ongoing United Auto Workers strike that showed 76% of all Americans support the striking employees.

The loss of faith in the concept of democracy comes after decades of neoliberal economic policy implemented with bipartisan support in the United States. Billionaire venture capitalist and conservative political donor Peter Thiel once famously opined that “capitalist democracy,” is an “oxymoron,” voicing support for neoliberal economic policy at the expense of notions of democracy.