6 In 10 Americans Say U S Democracy Is In Crisis As The Big Lie

Leo Migdal

-Dec 3, 2025, 10:27 PM

6 in 10 americans say u s democracy is in crisis as the big lie

Insurrectionists loyal to then-President Donald Trump are seen swarming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C. Americans remain bitterly divided over the events that led to the siege on the Capitol that day, according to a new NPR/Ipsos poll. John Minchillo/AP hide caption Insurrectionists loyal to then-President Donald Trump are seen swarming the U.S.

Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C. Americans remain bitterly divided over the events that led to the siege on the Capitol that day, according to a new NPR/Ipsos poll. One year after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Americans are deeply pessimistic about the future of democracy.

A new NPR/Ipsos poll finds that 64% of Americans believe U.S. democracy is "in crisis and at risk of failing." That sentiment is felt most acutely by Republicans: Two-thirds of GOP respondents agree with the verifiably false claim that "voter fraud helped Joe Biden win... Fewer than half of Republicans say they are willing to accept the results of the 2020 election — a number that has remained virtually unchanged since we asked the same question last January. "There is really a sort of dual reality through which partisans are approaching not only what happened a year ago on Jan. 6, but also generally with our presidential election and our democracy," said Mallory Newall, a vice president at Ipsos, which conducted the poll. "It is Republicans that are driving this belief that there was major fraudulent voting and it changed the results in the election," Newall said.

One year after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Americans are deeply pessimistic about the future of democracy. A new NPR/Ipsos poll finds that 64% of Americans believe U.S. democracy is “in crisis and at risk of failing.” That sentiment is felt most acutely by Republicans: Two-thirds of GOP respondents agree with the verifiably false claim that “voter fraud helped Joe Biden win... A new study from the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University and Public Agenda finds that Americans are deeply concerned about the state of U.S.

democracy and that growing divisions within the Republican Party deepen partisan divides over how the Constitution should guide presidential authority and the balance of power. The report draws from a national survey of 4,500 Americans, earlier polling, and three focus groups with Republican participants. It builds on prior SNF Agora research documenting Republican disagreement about the legitimacy of the 2020 election. It shows that these differences now extend to views of presidential power, constitutional limits, elections, and trust in government. The research identifies three distinct groups within the Republican Party: "Americans share deep concern for our democracy, but we do not all have the same reasons," said Andrew Seligsohn, president of Public Agenda.

"Republicans in particular are divided between those who support unfettered presidential power and those who believe checks and balances are essential to the integrity of our constitutional order. These differences represent a deep cleavage in the Republican Party with consequences for the future of American democracy." Across parties, most Americans express concern about U.S. democracy: 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. While Democrats have grown more concerned than ever about weakening democracy at home, Republican worries have sharply declined. In recent years, the combination of political polarization, contentious elections, and unchecked executive power in the United States have put American democracy at risk. Data from the 2025 Chicago Council Survey, fielded July 18–30, 2025, show weakening democracy is top of mind for most Americans, but Democrats and Independents are more likely to view it as a critical... Out of a broad range of potential threats to the United States, weakening democracy and government corruption stand out as the two most critical to American interests in the next decade.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans (65%) think weakening democracy poses a critical threat to the United States, while an additional 25 percent think it is an important but not quite critical threat. Just one in 10 Americans do not view weakening democracy as an important threat at all (9%). window.addEventListener("message",function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}}); The data suggest that partisans see democratic erosion very differently: far more Democrats (82%) and Independents (63%) than Republicans (49%) view the weakening of democracy as a critical threat to the United States in... There are some differences within the parties as well. For instance, Liberal Democrats are more likely than Moderate Democrats to think that this is a critical threat (88% vs.

74%, respectively).1Yet MAGA and non-MAGA Republicans view the threat of weakening democracy at similar levels (47% and 52%).2 WASHINGTON, D.C. — Eight in 10 U.S. adults agree on a variety of issues that reflect core aspects of U.S. democracy. These include that using violence to achieve political goals is never OK; that elected leaders should compromise to get things done; and that having a mix of races, religions and cultures benefits the nation.

Americans also express a desire to limit the political influence of wealthy individuals and businesses and believe there is a difference between facts and opinions. These findings are the first from the Kettering Foundation/Gallup Democracy for All Project and are based on a multimodal (web and mail) survey of over 20,000 U.S. adults, conducted July 7 to Aug. 25. This is a five-year project designed to measure Americans’ views of how well democracy serves the U.S. and Americans from a variety of different backgrounds.

The full report details how Americans largely agree that democracy is the best form of government but do not believe it is functioning well right now. As part of the survey, Americans were shown five pairs of contrasting perspectives on how democracy and U.S. society should function and were asked to choose which perspective comes closer to their view. Large majorities of all key subgroups of Americans reject violence, favor compromise and embrace a multicultural society. There are modest differences in some of these views by party, age and education. For example, Democrats, independents and college graduates are somewhat more likely than Republicans and non-college graduates to see multiculturalism as a strength.

Older Americans and Democrats are more likely than younger Americans and Republicans to endorse compromise. Age differences are even more pronounced when it comes to rejecting the use of political violence, with senior citizens most opposed and young adults the least. This relationship will be explored in more depth in an article to be released next week. Another question in the survey, asked on a five-point agree/disagree scale, finds that eight in 10 Americans strongly agree (39%) or agree (41%) that everyone, regardless of their views, has the right to free,... Just 5% disagree, and 15% are neutral. In a politically polarized nation, both Republican and Democratic voters worry over the state of U.S.

democracy and how the outcome of the presidential contest will affect its future; they just disagree over who poses the threat. (Dec. 15) (AP Video/Serkan Gurbuz) FILE - The White House is seen reflected in a puddle, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Washington. In a politically polarized nation, Americans seem to agree on one issue underlying the 2024 elections — a worry over the state of democracy and how the outcome of the presidential contest will affect...

A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 62% of adults say democracy in the U.S. could be at risk depending on who wins. That view is held by 72% of Democrats and 55% of Republicans, but for different reasons. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File) WASHINGTON (AP) — In a politically polarized nation, Americans seem to agree on one issue underlying the 2024 elections — a worry over the state of democracy and how the outcome of the presidential... They just disagree over who poses the threat.

A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 62% of adults say democracy in the U.S. could be at risk depending on who wins next fall. Majorities of Democrats (72%) and Republicans (55%) feel the same way, but for different reasons. January 5, 2022 by DC Editors Leave a Comment Against the backdrop of the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by Donald Trump supporters and increasing partisanship in Congress due to the former President’s hold on the Republican party, most Americans now... This article by Joel Rose, NPR and Liz Baker, NPR, appears in Houston Public Media.

6 In 10 Americans Say U S Democracy Is In Crisis As The Big Lie

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