Most Americans Say Democracy Is Under Threat

Time​ Magazine

4 days ago

Americans across the political spectrum believe democracy is under threat as partisan divisions deepen and politically motivated threats and attacks mount, a new poll found.
Around three-quarters of Americans feel that U.S. divisiveness poses a 'serious threat to democracy,' according to the NPR/PBS News/Marist poll released on Tuesday.
The survey, conducted from June 23 to 25 in the wake of U.S. airstrikes on Iran and the shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses, found that 89% of Democrats, 80% of independents, and 57% of Republicans believe the future of democracy is threatened.
The recent shootings may have been fresh in respondents' minds: 73% called politically motivated violence a major problem in the U.S., compared to the 23% that called it a minor problem.
Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were tragically killed in the attacks on June 14. Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot multiple times and hospitalized.
Politically motivated violence has been on the rise more broadly in the country in recent years. More than 9,500 instances of threats and concerning statements against members of Congress, their families, and their staff, were recorded in 2021, the same year rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, according to Capitol Police—marking a sharp increase from the 3,939 recorded just four years earlier. Several high-profile politicians have also been targeted in attacks. President Donald Trump faced two assassination attempts on the campaign trail last year, one of which left an attendee at his campaign rally dead and two others injured. Other assailants have injured Rep. Nancy Pelosi's husband, who was beaten with a hammer in a home invasion in 2022 in an apparently politically motivated attack targeting the Democratic Speaker, and Republican Rep. Steve Scalise, who was wounded in a mass shooting at a congressional baseball practice in 2017. Earlier this year, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's house was set on fire while he and his family slept inside.
More than 1,300 adults were surveyed for the poll. Here's what to know about the survey's findings.
Confidence in political leadership low across party lines
Americans' approval of both the President and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle is low.
President Donald Trump's second Administration has shaken the country's political and economic landscape with back-and-forth tariff policies, federal layoffs, and moves to crack down on immigration and restrict transgender rights. Just 43% of respondents said in the survey that they either approved or strongly approved of the Administration. The numbers largely fell along partisan lines: About one in ten Democrats said they approved of the job the President is doing, compared to 86% of Republicans. One in three independents expressed approval.
Public opinion of Congressional Democrats is much grimmer. Just 27% of respondents said they approved of the job they are doing, marking their lowest rating in seven years, per the poll. While their approval among Republicans, at 18%, and independents, at 20%, was markedly lower, Democrats were also less than complimentary of their party's performance in Congress. Only 44% of Democrats said they approved, while 43% disapproved.
Congressional Republicans, meanwhile, recorded their highest approval rating since 2011—though it was still low, with only thirty-five percent of respondents approving. They were buoyed somewhat by majority support from Republican respondents, 73% of whom expressed approval of the job their party is doing in Congress, even as only 11% of Democrats and 25% of independents said the same.
Sharp partisan divide over immigration and American identity
The United States has more immigrants than any other country; they make up about 14% of the total U.S. population, according to the Pew Research Center. Two-thirds of Americans agree that 'openness' to immigrants is key to the fabric of the nation, Tuesday's poll found.
An overall majority agreed that undocumented immigrants who have been convicted of a violent crime should be deported from the U.S.
Responses were split on deporting undocumented immigrants who have been convicted of nonviolent crimes or work in the agriculture or food industries. Republicans were far more likely than Democrats or independents to say immigrants with a nonviolent criminal conviction and without legal status should be deported, with 86% supporting their removal compared to 36% of Democrats and 57% of independents. Seventy-three percent of Republican respondents said those who worked in the specified industries should be deported, compared to 22% of Democrats and 40% of independents.
The responses come as the Trump Administration has moved to launch the 'largest deportation' program in U.S. history. The Administration has taken a hard stance against immigration, enacting arrest quotas for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, looking to alter a longstanding constitutional amendment that guarantees birthright citizenship, and targeting international students' ability to study at universities such as Harvard.
Overall, 43% of Americans approve of Trump's immigration policies, though that number, too, is sharply divided by party identification. Just 11% of Democrats expressed approval, compared to 86% of Republicans.
Sixty-two percent of Republicans said they believe the U.S. 'risks losing its identity' if it is too open to immigrants.
White women and older voters most concerned about violence and democracy
Across various demographics, white women with a college degree reported the highest level of concern about politically motivated violence in the U.S., with 83% calling it a major problem. Baby Boomers across different genders and races followed closely behind at 82%.
Majority say presidents must follow court orders
Americans overwhelmingly agree that a president should abide by a federal court's decision, with 83% of respondents saying so.
Many of Trump's Executive Orders and other policies have been entangled in the legal system. Legal scholars warned of a potential constitutional crisis when the Trump Administration stalled in abiding by a unanimous Supreme Court order to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador. Months after the order, officials brought Abrego Garcia back to the country in June to face criminal charges of human smuggling. He is currently in federal custody.