Poll: Americans’ Satisfaction with Democracy Hits Record Low

By Staff, Agencies

The American people’s satisfaction with how democracy is working in the United States has sunk to a record low, according to a recent survey by Gallup.

The poll, released on Friday, found that only 28% of adults in the US are satisfied with democracy, which is 7 points lower than the previous record, 35%, from a 2021 survey that was conducted shortly after the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

Gallup has conducted the survey nine times since 1984.

According to the polls, satisfaction with the way democracy was working in the US declined sharply to 48% in January 1992.

“The more recent declines of the past two years [to varying degrees for different partisan groups] may reflect economic unease amid higher prices,” Gallup said.

“Among major US subgroups, Republicans [17%] are least likely to say they are satisfied with the state of democracy,” it added.

It further exposed that Americans “are less happy about the state of US democracy than at any point in at least 40 years.”

“Gallup did not ask the question again until 2021, though two CNN surveys from 2010 and 2016 each showed 40% satisfaction ratings.”

“These results suggest Americans in the 2010s were once again disillusioned with the way democracy was working, perhaps due to continued gridlock in Washington amid growing budget deficits, ongoing gun violence, racial tensions and illegal immigration.”

The survey results come as the US is preparing for presidential elections in November 2024.

The survey was conducted in December among 1013 samples from all 50 states and Washington DC and has a 95 percent confidence level.

According to a separate survey by Quinnipiac University in 2022, 69% of Democrats and 69% of Republicans thought the nation’s democracy was on the brink of collapse.