Only one in ten American adults would give a high rating to how democracy works in the country or how it represents the interests of the majority of Americans, according to the latest public opinion survey by the Associated Press and NORC Public Research Center.
Most respondents say that American laws and politics do a pretty poor job of representing what most Americans want, from issues about the economy and spending money to gun policy, immigration and abortion. The survey shows that 53 percent of people think that Congress does a bad job of maintaining democratic values, and only 16 percent think that it does a good job.
The survey shows deep political alienation in a divided country that emerged from the pandemic and entered recovery amid inflation and fears of recession. In the interviews, respondents were less concerned about the machinery of democracy, such as electoral laws, and more about the performance itself.
Almost half of the country, 49 percent of those surveyed, believe that democracy does not work in America, while a tenth believe that it is very good, and 40 percent that it is not bad. Half of the respondents also believe that all parties support democracy poorly, 47 percent of them believe that for the Democrats, and 56 percent for the Republicans.
"I don't think either party is doing anything well, because of the state of the economy. Inflation is killing us. Right now, I'm making better money than ever, and it's never been harder for me to make ends meet," says Michael Brown, who is 45 and works in income planning employees. She has two children and lives in Bristol, Connecticut.
He describes himself as a moderate Republican, and thinks that the United States lacks democracy, ever since he learned in school that the Electoral College allows someone to become president even if he does not have a majority of the popular vote. He is particularly disappointed with the current Congress, and does not think that it reflects the will of the citizens.
"They're fighting over something that has nothing to do with the economy," Brown said, pointing to the House Republican majority's investigation into President Joe Biden's son.
"Hunter Biden -- what does he have to do with us," Brown asks.
The survey shows that 53 percent of Americans believe that the views of "normal people" are not represented in the government, while 35 percent believe that they are mostly represented, and 12 percent that they are strongly represented. About 6 in 10 Republicans and undecided respondents think the government does not represent people like them, as do 4 in 10 Democrats.
Karalin Kiesling, a researcher at the University of Michigan, who participated in the survey, sees troubling signals. She is a Democrat, has almost moved to a conservative neighborhood off the liberal campus in Ann Arbor, and fears that conspiracy theorists who believe former President Donald Trump's lie that he won the 2020 election may show up as election watchers. Her family members, who are Republicans, no longer identify with the party and limit their political involvement.
Kiesling explores the connection between public health and politics and sees many ways to participate in democracy beyond voting, from being active in a political party to speaking at local government meetings. He is afraid that the increased dirtiness of party life scares people to enter such key activities.
"I think people are less prepared because it's become so controversial," says Kiesling, 29.
That leads to alienation on a national level, she adds, and she says she definitely feels it when she leaves Washington.
Polarization has turned some states into one-party states, and that's why some people feel alienated, like Mark Short, a Republican who lives in Dana Point, California.
"In California, I feel like I'm voting every time, and it's always the same," said Short, a retired businessman.
The vast majority of Americans, 71 percent of them, believe that it is important to take into account what the majority wants when creating laws, but only 48 percent of them think that this is really the case in reality.
Attitudes are even more negative when it comes to specific issues: almost two-thirds believe that policies on immigration, budget spending, abortion and weapons do not represent the majority of America, and the same number of respondents believe that the economy, gender identity and issues of the LGBTQ+ community. More than half think the policy does a poor job of reflecting what Americans want in health care and environmental protection.
Sandra Wyatt, a 68-year-old Democrat who is now retired, worked as a data collector. She is black, she used to vote for Republicans, but she blames Donald Trump for the erosion of democracy.
"When he came to power, it was as if he wanted to take us back to the past, when we didn't have the rights we fought for. We always knew there was racism, but now they are so encouraged to go and kill people because of the color of their skin." Wyatt says.
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