New Research Finds Americans Deeply Concerned About U S Democracy

Leo Migdal

-Dec 3, 2025, 9:19 PM

new research finds americans deeply concerned about u s democracy

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: A sharp, three-part divergence has formed in the Republican party, with cracks along attitudes toward executive authority and adherence to constitutional boundaries

84% of Americans say U.S. democracy is either in crisis or facing serious challenges, with Republicans divided between optimism and concern depending on their alignment with President Trump One-third of all Americans believe that federal elections are not free and fair, though trust is higher toward local elections Partisan media ecosystems are entrenched, with Democrats leaning toward traditional and public media while Republicans favor podcasts and cable news November 20, 2025 — A new study from Public Agenda and the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University finds that Americans are deeply concerned about the state of U.S. democracy and that partisan divides are compounded by divergent views among Republicans about how the Constitution should guide presidential authority and inform the balance of power among branches of government.

You are free to share this article under the Attribution 4.0 International license. A new study finds that Americans are deeply concerned about the state of US democracy. The study also finds 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 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: Believe the president can ignore court decisions if they believe doing so is in the nation’s best interest Believe Donald Trump should be allowed to run for a third term Believe Congress should impeach judges who rule against the president Are happy with the Trump agenda and think the Republican party is moving in the right direction Had their trust in government institutions significantly damaged by the response to the COVID-19 pandemic

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. A report from the Democracy Policy Lab at UC Berkeley finds Americans are confused about the meaning and practices of democracy and deeply distrustful of public institutions — and each other. Strong “democracy policy” could help renew national bonds, the authors say.

For a decade, scholars, pundits and other analysts have been searching deep in the American political experience to understand why democracy seems so stressed. Now a new UC Berkeley report based on extensive surveys finds that Americans are confused about the meaning of democracy and frustrated with the leaders and institutions responsible for guiding the country — but... In an interview, lead author David C. Wilson detailed the findings of this plunge into our political psyche, surveying a tangle of concerning trends. Americans are struggling with epidemic mistrust, but they’re also eager for solutions. For democracy to flourish, the report finds, its people must be flourishing, too.

Wilson, a political psychologist, offered a potentially innovative course of therapy: Just as the nation has economic and health policy, local, state and federal leaders need a commitment to democracy policy to strengthen the... Wilson is the dean of the Goldman School of Public Policy at Berkeley and a professor of public policy and political science. The report, “Delivering on the Promises of ‘We the People,’” is based on surveys of more than 2,400 Americans conducted before and after the November 2024 election. Research from the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University shows that 84% of Americans believe democracy is in crisis or facing serious challenges. The study reveals significant differences in how Republican groups view presidential authority and the balance of power. https://bit.ly/4in3SI7

Sept. 15 is the United Nations’ International Day of Democracy, an annual moment to assess the health of democracy around the world. Unfortunately, as numerous studies have demonstrated, democracy has been in decline in many nations in recent years. Americans are unhappier and more divided than most about the state of their democracy, and particularly gloomy about its prospects for improvement. The United States is no exception. In fact, Americans are unhappier and more divided than most about the state of their democracy, and particularly gloomy about its prospects for improvement.

Americans certainly haven’t given up on democracy, but if the U.S. is going to turn around these negative trends, we may need a renewed democratic imagination and a new, broad-based conception of American identity to see past what feel like insurmountable obstacles. The country’s notably grim political mood and desire for change show up across many survey questions. Cross-national surveys at Pew Research Center show Americans are among the most dissatisfied with the functioning of their democracy, and they are particularly negative on whether politicians care what voters think. In a 2021 Center survey of adults in 17 advanced economies, 85% in the U.S. said their political system needs major changes or needs to be completely reformed.

Italy and Spain were the only countries we surveyed where larger shares of the public expressed this view. Despite the desire for change, most Americans who said the U.S. political system needs to be fixed also said they are not confident it could be changed effectively.

New Research Finds Americans Deeply Concerned About U S Democracy

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The Research Identifies Three Distinct Groups Within The Republican Party: