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WASHINGTON: A new poll by the Associated Press-NORC Public Affairs Research Center shows that only one in 10 adults in the United States give high ratings to the way democracy works in the United States or how well it represents the interests of most Americans.
Majorities of adults say that US laws and policies do little to represent what most Americans want on issues ranging from the economy and government spending to gun policy, immigration and abortion. The poll showed that 53% say Congress is doing a poor job of upholding democratic values, compared to only 16% who say it is doing a good job.
The results illustrate widespread political alienation as a polarized country emerges from the pandemic and moves into a recovery haunted by inflation and recession fears. In interviews, respondents worried less about the machinery of democracy – voting laws and ballot tabulation – and more about the outputs.
Overall, about half of the country — 49% — say democracy does not work well in the United States, compared with 10% who say it works very well or very well and only 40% somewhat well. About half also say every political party does a poor job of supporting democracy, including 47% saying that of Democrats and even more – 56% – of Republicans.
“I don’t think either of them are doing well just because of the state of the economy — inflation is killing us,” said Michael Brown, a 45-year-old working compensation administrator and father of two in Bristol, Connecticut. . “Right now, I’m earning more than I’ve ever been, and I’m struggling as much as I’ve ever been.”
Brown, who describes himself as a moderate Republican, has seen the United States fail to live up to its democratic promise ever since he learned in high school that the Electoral College allows someone to become president without winning a majority of the national vote. But he is especially frustrated with Congress now, seeing its misgivings as not reflecting the will of the people.
“They’re fighting over something, and it has nothing to do with the economy,” Brown said, referring to the GOP-controlled House of Representatives’ investigation into President Joe Biden’s son.
“Hunter Biden – what does that have to do with us?” Asked.
The poll showed that 53% of Americans say the views of People Like You are not well represented by government, while 35% say they are fairly well represented and 12% say they are well or very well represented. About 6 in 10 Republicans and Independents feel the government does not represent people like them well, compared to about 4 in 10 Democrats.
Caralyn Kissling, a researcher at the University of Michigan who participated in the survey, sees troubling signs all around her. A Democrat, she recently moved to a conservative district just outside the liberal campus center in Ann Arbor, and was worried that conspiracy theorists who believed former President Donald Trump’s lies about his 2020 election victory would show up as poll watchers. Republican family members no Identifying the party and limits its political participation.
Kiessling looks at the intersection of public health and politics and sees many other ways to participate in democracy in addition to voting – from activism in a political party to speaking at a local government meeting. But she worries that an increase in partisan ugliness will scare people away from these crucial outlets.
“I think people are less willing to get involved because it gets more controversial,” said Kissling, 29.
This leads to alienation on a national level, she said – something you definitely feel when you see what is coming out of Washington. “When you have a minority base of what pan-Americans think, but they’re the loudest voices in the room, those are the ones politicians listen to,” Kissling said.
Polarization has turned some states into one-party dominance, further alienating people like Mark Short, a Republican who lives in Dana Point, California.
“In California, I kind of feel like throwing my voice away every time, and that’s just what you get,” said Short, 63, a retired entrepreneur.
The survey showed that the vast majority of Americans – 71% – believe that what most Americans want should be very important when creating laws and policies, but only 48% think this is actually true in practice.
And opinions are more negative when it comes to specific issues: About two-thirds of adults say policies on immigration, government spending, abortion policy, and gun policy do not represent the views of most Americans, and nearly as many say the same about the economy as well as sexual identity and LGBTQ+ issues. And more than half say the policies poorly reflect what Americans want in health care and the environment.
Joseph DiRito, an 81-year-old retired baker in Elmira, New York, argues that immigration policy does not represent the views of most Americans. “Government today is all for the people who have nothing — a lot of who can work but get help,” said DiRito, a Republican-leaning white independent politician who voted for Trump. “They just want to give these people everything.”
Sandra White, a 68-year-old retired data worker and Democrat in Cincinnati, blames Trump for what she sees as the erosion of democracy. “When he got there, it was like, man, you’re trying to take us back to today, before all the rights and privileges that everybody fought for,” said White, who is Black, adding that she had previously voted Republican. also.
She sees these bad dynamics remaining after the Trump presidency. “We always knew there was racism but now they are brave enough to turn around and shoot people because of the color of their skin,” White said.
Stanley Hobbs, a retired Detroit auto worker and Democrat, blames “some Republicans” for what he sees as the erosion of democracy in the United States. How the laws no longer represent the views of the majority of Americans.
He’s trying to stay optimistic.
“It always seems to happen in the United States and we always win,” Hobbes said, recalling how American politicians sympathetic to Nazi Germany gained prominence before World War II. “I just hope we win this time.”
Majorities of adults say that US laws and policies do little to represent what most Americans want on issues ranging from the economy and government spending to gun policy, immigration and abortion. The poll showed that 53% say Congress is doing a poor job of upholding democratic values, compared to only 16% who say it is doing a good job.
The results illustrate widespread political alienation as a polarized country emerges from the pandemic and moves into a recovery haunted by inflation and recession fears. In interviews, respondents worried less about the machinery of democracy – voting laws and ballot tabulation – and more about the outputs.
Overall, about half of the country — 49% — say democracy does not work well in the United States, compared with 10% who say it works very well or very well and only 40% somewhat well. About half also say every political party does a poor job of supporting democracy, including 47% saying that of Democrats and even more – 56% – of Republicans.
“I don’t think either of them are doing well just because of the state of the economy — inflation is killing us,” said Michael Brown, a 45-year-old working compensation administrator and father of two in Bristol, Connecticut. . “Right now, I’m earning more than I’ve ever been, and I’m struggling as much as I’ve ever been.”
Brown, who describes himself as a moderate Republican, has seen the United States fail to live up to its democratic promise ever since he learned in high school that the Electoral College allows someone to become president without winning a majority of the national vote. But he is especially frustrated with Congress now, seeing its misgivings as not reflecting the will of the people.
“They’re fighting over something, and it has nothing to do with the economy,” Brown said, referring to the GOP-controlled House of Representatives’ investigation into President Joe Biden’s son.
“Hunter Biden – what does that have to do with us?” Asked.
The poll showed that 53% of Americans say the views of People Like You are not well represented by government, while 35% say they are fairly well represented and 12% say they are well or very well represented. About 6 in 10 Republicans and Independents feel the government does not represent people like them well, compared to about 4 in 10 Democrats.
Caralyn Kissling, a researcher at the University of Michigan who participated in the survey, sees troubling signs all around her. A Democrat, she recently moved to a conservative district just outside the liberal campus center in Ann Arbor, and was worried that conspiracy theorists who believed former President Donald Trump’s lies about his 2020 election victory would show up as poll watchers. Republican family members no Identifying the party and limits its political participation.
Kiessling looks at the intersection of public health and politics and sees many other ways to participate in democracy in addition to voting – from activism in a political party to speaking at a local government meeting. But she worries that an increase in partisan ugliness will scare people away from these crucial outlets.
“I think people are less willing to get involved because it gets more controversial,” said Kissling, 29.
This leads to alienation on a national level, she said – something you definitely feel when you see what is coming out of Washington. “When you have a minority base of what pan-Americans think, but they’re the loudest voices in the room, those are the ones politicians listen to,” Kissling said.
Polarization has turned some states into one-party dominance, further alienating people like Mark Short, a Republican who lives in Dana Point, California.
“In California, I kind of feel like throwing my voice away every time, and that’s just what you get,” said Short, 63, a retired entrepreneur.
The survey showed that the vast majority of Americans – 71% – believe that what most Americans want should be very important when creating laws and policies, but only 48% think this is actually true in practice.
And opinions are more negative when it comes to specific issues: About two-thirds of adults say policies on immigration, government spending, abortion policy, and gun policy do not represent the views of most Americans, and nearly as many say the same about the economy as well as sexual identity and LGBTQ+ issues. And more than half say the policies poorly reflect what Americans want in health care and the environment.
Joseph DiRito, an 81-year-old retired baker in Elmira, New York, argues that immigration policy does not represent the views of most Americans. “Government today is all for the people who have nothing — a lot of who can work but get help,” said DiRito, a Republican-leaning white independent politician who voted for Trump. “They just want to give these people everything.”
Sandra White, a 68-year-old retired data worker and Democrat in Cincinnati, blames Trump for what she sees as the erosion of democracy. “When he got there, it was like, man, you’re trying to take us back to today, before all the rights and privileges that everybody fought for,” said White, who is Black, adding that she had previously voted Republican. also.
She sees these bad dynamics remaining after the Trump presidency. “We always knew there was racism but now they are brave enough to turn around and shoot people because of the color of their skin,” White said.
Stanley Hobbs, a retired Detroit auto worker and Democrat, blames “some Republicans” for what he sees as the erosion of democracy in the United States. How the laws no longer represent the views of the majority of Americans.
He’s trying to stay optimistic.
“It always seems to happen in the United States and we always win,” Hobbes said, recalling how American politicians sympathetic to Nazi Germany gained prominence before World War II. “I just hope we win this time.”
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