Poll: 73% of Americans See Democracy Under Serious Threat
The Facts
A December 2024 Marist Poll, which surveyed 3,131 US adults from Dec. 3-5, 2024, revealed that 73% of Americans believe the nation's democracy faces serious threats, showing a notable decrease from 87% in August 2023.
The concern about democratic threats varied by political affiliation, with 86% of Democrats, 74% of independents, and 61% of Republicans expressing worry about democracy's future.
An overwhelming majority of Americans (91%) believe the right to non-violent protest is working well, while 69% consider national elections open and fair.
The Spin
Democratic narrative
Donald Trump's Republican Party poses a serious threat to democracy through his plans to overhaul the federal bureaucracy to align with his vision and target political opponents and the media. The subdued public and civil society response suggests a terrifying normalization of these threats, risking further democratic backsliding. From pardoning Jan. 6 insurrectionists to deporting immigrants, Trump is preparing to exploit every legal avenue to consolidate power.
Republican narrative
When Democrats say "Trump threatens democracy," they really mean a threat to their long-held control over the country, not democracy itself. Trump's plan to reform bureaucracy aims to align government with voter will, not partisan inertia. Democrats' outrage over Trump's potential use of the justice department is also selective, ignoring their own political prosecutions. Trump was elected by the people, which is why the bureaucrats are rushing to paint him as dangerous.
Cynical narrative
Both parties are puppets of oligarchs, choosing between corporate stability or oligarchic chaos. Kamala Harris, who was supported by the richest Democrat donors, embodied housebroken capitalism, needing a technocratic government for corporate giants. Trump, backed by the likes of Peter Thiel, represents warlord capitalism, aiming to dismantle regulations for profit. Both sides are hellbent on impoverishing the public, funneling wealth to billionaires, and destroying democracy.
