14-7-2023 (WASHINGTON) Most Americans give poor ratings to how democracy is working in the US and how well government represents their interests, a new AP-NORC poll finds.
Just 10% rate the state of US democracy as very or extremely well, while half say it’s not working well. Majorities say laws and policies poorly represent Americans’ views on most issues from the economy and gun policies to immigration and abortion.
The findings show broad political disenchantment as a divided nation recovers from the pandemic amid recession fears and inflation.
Respondents worried less about voting procedures and more about government outputs and outcomes. Half think both major parties do a poor job upholding democracy.
“Neither party is doing a good job representing what most Americans want,” said Michael Brown, a Connecticut resident. He says he struggles economically “as much as I ever have,” though he earns more than ever.
The government fails to represent “people like you” well, say 53% of Americans. Around 40% feel somewhat represented while just 12% very or extremely well. Around six in 10 Republicans and independents feel poorly represented compared to four in 10 Democrats.
Most Americans think government should highly consider what the public wants when making laws. Yet only 48% think that’s actually true in practice.
views are even more negative about government reflecting public opinion on specific issues. Around two-thirds say policies on issues like immigration, spending, abortion, and guns poorly represent Americans’ views. More than half say the same for health care, environmental, and LGBT issues.
Joseph Derito, a Republican in New York, feels immigration policy fails to represent most Americans. Sandra Wyatt, a Democrat in Cincinnati, blames Trump for eroding democracy. Stanley Hobbs, a Detroit Democrat, hopes “we prevail this time” over politicians sympathetic to authoritarianism.
