WASHINGTON: Only about one in 10 US officials give a high rating to how well democracy is working in the United States or how well it represents the interests of the majority of Americans, according to a new survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Many officials say U.S. laws and policies do a poor job of representing the interests of the majority of Americans on issues such as the economy and public spending on gun policies, immigration and abortion. The poll shows that 53% say Congress is doing a bad job of preserving democratic values, compared to just 16% who say it’s doing a good job.
The findings show a political spillover as the vulnerable country recovers from the pandemic and a recovery fueled by rising inflation and fears of a recession. In the survey, respondents were less concerned with the mechanics of democracy – the voting rules and the counting of votes – and more with the results.
Overall, nearly half of the country – 49% – say democracy is not working well in the United States, compared to 10% who say it is working well or very well and 40% who say it is working well. About half also say that each political party is doing a bad job promoting democracy, including 47% who say the same for Democrats and the majority – 56% – for Republicans.
“I don’t think any of them are doing a good job because of the economy — inflation is killing us,” said Michael Brown, a 45-year-old compensation administrator and father of two in Bristol, Connecticut. . “Right now I’m making as much as I can, and I’m fighting as much as I can.”
A self-proclaimed independent Republican, Brown has seen the United States fail to live up to its democratic promise since he learned in high school that the Electoral College allows someone to become president without winning a majority of the popular vote. But he is especially disillusioned with the Congress now, he feels his interests do not reflect the will of the people.
“They’re fighting for something, and it’s not about the economy,” Brown said, picking on the GOP-dominated President Joe Biden investigation. Bidenson of
“Hunter Biden – what does it matter to us?” he asked.
The poll shows that 53% of Americans say the views of “people like you” are not well represented by government, with 35% saying they are well represented and 12% very well. About 6 in 10 Republicans and independents feel the government does not adequately represent people like them, compared to 4 in 10 Democrats.
Karalyn Kiessling, a researcher at the University of Michigan who participated in the study, sees troubling signs all around her. The Democrats, who recently moved to a park outside Ann Arbor’s liberal arts center, are worried that conspiracy theorists who believe former President Donald Trump’s lies that he won the 2020 election will appear as pollsters. His Republican relatives no they have been with the party for a long time and are reducing their involvement in politics.
Kiessling explores the dynamics of public health and politics and sees many other ways to participate in democracy besides voting – from being active in a political party to speaking at a state assembly. But he fears that increased pride is scaring people away from this important place.
“I think people don’t want to get involved because it’s created controversy,” Kiessling, 29, said.
That leads to national isolation, he said — something he feels when he sees what’s coming out of Washington. “When you have a small base that most Americans think, but it’s the loudest voice in the room, it’s the one that politicians listen to,” Kiessling said.
Polarization has turned some states into single-party governments, confusing people like Mark Short, a Republican who lives in Dana Point, California.
“In California, I feel like I lose my vote all the time, and that’s what you get,” said Short, 63, a retired businessman.
The poll shows that a majority of Americans – 71% – think that the wishes of the majority of Americans should be the top priority when making laws, but only 48% think this is true.
And opinions tend to be worse on certain issues: Nearly two-thirds of adults say immigration policies, government spending, abortion policies and guns do not represent the majority of Americans, and nearly as many say the same about the economy and public information. gender and LGBTQ+. More than half also say that policies do not accurately reflect what Americans want in terms of health and the environment.
Joseph Derito, an 81-year-old retired baker in Elmyra, New York, feels that the country’s immigration policy does not reflect the views of the majority of Americans. “Government today is for people who have nothing — most of them can work but they’re subsidized,” said Derito, a white independent who leans Republican and voted for Trump. “They just want to give these people everything.”
Sandra Wyatt, 68, a data collection worker and Democrat from Cincinnati, criticizes Trump for what she sees as the erosion of democracy. “When he went in there, it was like, man, you’re trying to take us back to today, all the freedoms and opportunities that everybody fought for,” said Wyatt, who is black, adding that he voted Republican. also.
He sees these evils continuing after Trump’s presidency. “We always knew there was racism but now they have the courage to go around and shoot people because of their skin color,” Wyatt said.
Stanley Hobbs, a retired Detroit auto worker and Democrat, blames “a few Republicans” for what he sees as the erosion of democracy in the US in which the laws no longer represent the views of the majority of Americans.
He is trying to stay positive.
“It seems like this happens all the time in the US and we win,” Hobbs said, recalling how American politicians’ sympathy for Nazi Germany gained prominence before World War II. “I believe we will win this time.”
Many officials say U.S. laws and policies do a poor job of representing the interests of the majority of Americans on issues such as the economy and public spending on gun policies, immigration and abortion. The poll shows that 53% say Congress is doing a bad job of preserving democratic values, compared to just 16% who say it’s doing a good job.
The findings show a political spillover as the vulnerable country recovers from the pandemic and a recovery fueled by rising inflation and fears of a recession. In the survey, respondents were less concerned with the mechanics of democracy – the voting rules and the counting of votes – and more with the results.
Overall, nearly half of the country – 49% – say democracy is not working well in the United States, compared to 10% who say it is working well or very well and 40% who say it is working well. About half also say that each political party is doing a bad job promoting democracy, including 47% who say the same for Democrats and the majority – 56% – for Republicans.
“I don’t think any of them are doing a good job because of the economy — inflation is killing us,” said Michael Brown, a 45-year-old compensation administrator and father of two in Bristol, Connecticut. . “Right now I’m making as much as I can, and I’m fighting as much as I can.”
A self-proclaimed independent Republican, Brown has seen the United States fail to live up to its democratic promise since he learned in high school that the Electoral College allows someone to become president without winning a majority of the popular vote. But he is especially disillusioned with the Congress now, he feels his interests do not reflect the will of the people.
“They’re fighting for something, and it’s not about the economy,” Brown said, picking on the GOP-dominated President Joe Biden investigation. Bidenson of
“Hunter Biden – what does it matter to us?” he asked.
The poll shows that 53% of Americans say the views of “people like you” are not well represented by government, with 35% saying they are well represented and 12% very well. About 6 in 10 Republicans and independents feel the government does not adequately represent people like them, compared to 4 in 10 Democrats.
Karalyn Kiessling, a researcher at the University of Michigan who participated in the study, sees troubling signs all around her. The Democrats, who recently moved to a park outside Ann Arbor’s liberal arts center, are worried that conspiracy theorists who believe former President Donald Trump’s lies that he won the 2020 election will appear as pollsters. His Republican relatives no they have been with the party for a long time and are reducing their involvement in politics.
Kiessling explores the dynamics of public health and politics and sees many other ways to participate in democracy besides voting – from being active in a political party to speaking at a state assembly. But he fears that increased pride is scaring people away from this important place.
“I think people don’t want to get involved because it’s created controversy,” Kiessling, 29, said.
That leads to national isolation, he said — something he feels when he sees what’s coming out of Washington. “When you have a small base that most Americans think, but it’s the loudest voice in the room, it’s the one that politicians listen to,” Kiessling said.
Polarization has turned some states into single-party governments, confusing people like Mark Short, a Republican who lives in Dana Point, California.
“In California, I feel like I lose my vote all the time, and that’s what you get,” said Short, 63, a retired businessman.
The poll shows that a majority of Americans – 71% – think that the wishes of the majority of Americans should be the top priority when making laws, but only 48% think this is true.
And opinions tend to be worse on certain issues: Nearly two-thirds of adults say immigration policies, government spending, abortion policies and guns do not represent the majority of Americans, and nearly as many say the same about the economy and public information. gender and LGBTQ+. More than half also say that policies do not accurately reflect what Americans want in terms of health and the environment.
Joseph Derito, an 81-year-old retired baker in Elmyra, New York, feels that the country’s immigration policy does not reflect the views of the majority of Americans. “Government today is for people who have nothing — most of them can work but they’re subsidized,” said Derito, a white independent who leans Republican and voted for Trump. “They just want to give these people everything.”
Sandra Wyatt, 68, a data collection worker and Democrat from Cincinnati, criticizes Trump for what she sees as the erosion of democracy. “When he went in there, it was like, man, you’re trying to take us back to today, all the freedoms and opportunities that everybody fought for,” said Wyatt, who is black, adding that he voted Republican. also.
He sees these evils continuing after Trump’s presidency. “We always knew there was racism but now they have the courage to go around and shoot people because of their skin color,” Wyatt said.
Stanley Hobbs, a retired Detroit auto worker and Democrat, blames “a few Republicans” for what he sees as the erosion of democracy in the US in which the laws no longer represent the views of the majority of Americans.
He is trying to stay positive.
“It seems like this happens all the time in the US and we win,” Hobbs said, recalling how American politicians’ sympathy for Nazi Germany gained prominence before World War II. “I believe we will win this time.”