Poll Americans Belief In Democracy Apm Research Lab

Leo Migdal

-Dec 3, 2025, 9:53 PM

poll americans belief in democracy apm research lab

St. Louis Park residents gather at a City Council meeting, July 8, 2019. Nina Moini | MPR News. The McCourtney Institute for Democracy’s most recent Mood of the Nation Poll finds that a strong majority of Americans agree that democracy is the best system of governance, but that there are pockets of... Poll director Eric Plutzer, Ph.D., noted, “The sharp generational differences on multiple questions show that Millennials and, especially, Gen-Z members are disappointed in American democracy. Some may feel that democracy in America today falls far short of our aspirations, and others may feel that their generation has little voice in addressing rising prices, uncertain economic futures, debt and climate...

While most younger voters continue to show strong support for democracy, the widespread disaffection evident in younger generations is a warning sign for the future.” The survey also asked respondents what aspects of democracy were most important to them. Most emphasize either that democracy allows “the voice of the people” to influence government, or that the system offers protection for rights and liberties. About one-in-ten, including one-in-five independents and Republicans, emphasized that the United States’ system of government should be characterized as a republic rather than a democracy. Half of Americans strongly agree with the statement “Democracy may have problems, but it is the best system of government,” and another quarter agree somewhat. Most of the remaining quarter indicate that they neither agree nor disagree.

Demonstrators rally on Pennsylvania Avenue during a No Kings protest in Washington, Oct. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) Demonstrators carry a signed banner representing the U.S. Constitution as they march to the national Mall during a No Kings protest in Washington, Oct. 18, 2025.

(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) A person holds an American flag upside-down during a “No Kings” protest Oct. 18, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File) About half of American adults believe democracy is functioning “very” or “moderately” poorly in the United States, while only about one-quarter think it’s doing “very” or “moderately” well, according to a poll, marking a... The Kettering Foundation-Gallup survey found that about two-thirds of Americans “strongly agree” or “agree” that democracy is the best form of government.

Very few disagree, with about one-third saying they don’t have an opinion. But alongside the widespread disappointment in how democracy is working, few believe the country’s leaders are committed to democratic governance or think government decisions reflect the will of the people. Half of Americans strongly agree with the statement “Democracy may have problems, but it is the best system of government,” and another quarter agree somewhat. Most of the remaining quarter indicate that they neither agree nor disagree. While the proportion of Americans agreeing that democracy “is the best system of government” differs somewhat along lines of race and ethnicity, income, educational attainment and political affiliation, it differs even more by generation. Seventy-five percent of those in the Silent Generation, “strongly agree” that democracy is the best form of government.

In comparison, 62% of Baby Boomers, 47% of Generation X, 37% of Millennials and only 27% of Generation Z strongly agree that democracy is the best form of government. Poll director Eric Plutzer said, “The sharp generational differences on multiple questions show that Millennials and, especially, Gen-Z members are disappointed in American democracy. Some may feel that democracy in America today falls far short of our aspirations, and others may feel that their generation has little voice in addressing rising prices, uncertain economic futures, debt and climate... While most younger voters continue to show strong support for democracy, the widespread disaffection evident in younger generations is a warning sign for the future.” One in five of adults in Generation Z and Millennials indicate “dictatorship could be good in certain circumstances” Create an account or log in to save stories.

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories. The McCourtney Institute for Democracy’s most recent Mood of the Nation Poll, conducted May 12-18, finds that three-quarters of American adults endorse democracy as the best system of government, but only 16% say they... Further, the poll finds that Americans are most inclined to self-censor at work and around family. About half indicate self-censoring their political speech around close friends. And one in eight restrict their political discussion around their spouse or romantic partner.

Three quarters of American adults indicate that they agree with the statement “democracy may have problems, but it is the best system of government,” including the 45% who agree strongly. Most other Americans neither agree nor disagree with the statement, and the remaining eight percent disagree. Six earlier Mood of the Nation polls, starting in September 2019, have included this question and the results have consistently shown that approximately half of U.S. adults agree strongly that democracy is the best system of government. With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.

The McCourtney Institute for Democracy’s most recent Mood of the Nation Poll, conducted May 12-18, finds that three-quarters of American adults endorse democracy as the best system of government, but only 16% say they... Further, the poll finds that Americans are most inclined to self-censor at work and around family. About half indicate self-censoring their political speech around close friends. And 1 in 8 restrict their political discussion around their spouse or romantic partner. Three quarters of American adults indicate that they agree with the statement “democracy may have problems, but it is the best system of government,” including the 45% who agree strongly. Most other Americans neither agree nor disagree with the statement, and the remaining 8% disagree.

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. Americans are most inclined to curtail discussion of politics at work and around family Create an account or log in to save stories.

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Poll Americans Belief In Democracy Apm Research Lab

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