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Americans' satisfaction with "the way democracy is working" sinks to historic lows

Only 28% of citizens feel optimistic about the state of democracy in the country. This is the lowest figure documented since records have been kept (1984).

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(Pexels)

Published by
Verónica Silveri Pazos

A Gallup poll found that only 28% of Americans are "satisfied with the way democracy is working" in the nation. The figure establishes a new historical low (lower than the 35% registered after the events of January 6, 2021 at the Capitol).

Divided by political bias, Democrats (38%) said they were more "satisfied with the state of democracy" than Republicans (17%). On the other hand, 27% of Independents were optimistic about the functioning of democracy.

However, the survey shows a decline in satisfaction across all groups since 2021 (after Joe Biden became president). At that time, 47% of Democrats said they were satisfied with democracy, as did 47% of Republicans and 36% of Independents.

Democracy Gallup Poll by Veronica Silveri on Scribd

An analysis in the survey shows that "partisans have been more satisfied with the functioning of democracy when a president from their preferred party has governed ":

Between 1984 and 1992, during the governments of Ronald Reagan and George HW Bush, Republicans were more satisfied than Democrats in each of the four surveys conducted (...) All of the most recent polls have been conducted in years when there was a Democratic president in the White House. Democrats have been more satisfied than Republicans in all but one: 1998, held after the Republican-led House of Representatives impeached Clinton.

Level of education, a determining factor

According to the survey, "satisfaction with democracy also differs greatly depending on education," and as such is a determining factor in obtaining the results. Americans with graduate education are more "likely to be satisfied, at 38%."

On the other hand, about "three in 10 adults who attended college but not graduate school are satisfied, and 21% of those who did not attend college are":

Non-college-educated Americans show the steepest decline in satisfaction since 2021 among key subgroups, falling 15 percentage points from 36%. In past surveys, Americans without college education have typically been the least satisfied with American democracy.

Gallup surveyed 1,013 adults in every state in the country from December 1 to 20, 2023.

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