New poll: Majority of Americans concerned their country's democracy is under threat

Over three-quarters of American voters (76%) expressed they feel that American democracy is under threat, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll of 2,516 voters published on Sunday. 

The poll, which collected data from October 20 to October 23 of this year, also found that nearly as many voters felt that American democracy does not do a good job representing the people as those who felt it did (45% to 49%).

Highlighting Donald Trump’s insistence that the 2020 election was rigged and the January 6 insurrection that followed, the New York Times reported that trust in the democratic system has begun to decline.

A high rate of inflation, anomic social climate, and inflamed geopolitical tensions have also reportedly stirred voter anxieties about the fruitfulness and strength of America’s democracy.

Despite fearing democracy being threatened and Trump’s aforementioned claims, nearly 80% of those polled said they trust the validity of the upcoming 2024 election results. This is a notable increase from two years ago when only 70% of respondents said the same.

Trust falters over US economy

For many voters, the economy is a sore point in their trust, the poll found. Some 58% of voters said the nation’s financial and political systems needed major changes or a complete overhaul.

“I even have to go to a food bank, and my husband and I make a decent salary, and we still can’t wholly make ends meet with three children,” Tyra Jackson-Taylor, a 51-year-old social worker from Norfolk, VA, told the Times. “It’s just a lot, me having to work and him work overtime, just to try to make ends meet.”

“I think I’m going Republican this time because, really, the economy is the biggest issue for me,” said Oliver Funk, a voter who previously supported  Biden in 2020 but now plans to vote for Trump. “I think Donald Trump will be better at handling just everyday prices than what we’ve seen in the past four years.”

The pace of change

For others who spoke to the Times, their issues with the system go past the economic into the political sphere and its lack of rapid movement - as was the case with 21-year-old Sarah Washington. 

“It’s always a school shooting,” said Washington, a temporary worker in New Orleans. “There should be heavier laws in order to obtain a gun, for example. And there’s been discussion about how that should go, and nothing is being done about it. They talk about it, and then another one happens.”

In addition to issues relating to the economy and rate of political change, the Times reported that Republicans saw threats to democracy emerge from the Democratic Party, US President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, mail voting, electronic voting machines, immigration, and the Department of Justice.

In contrast, the Times reported that Democrats viewed Trump as a threat to America’s democracy. 

“He is a dictator incarnate,” said Jeffrey Braman, 51, a military veteran in Lansing, Michigan. “More than 70 million (number of Trump voters in 2020)…want a king. Someone to dictate to them.”

Despite the Times reporting that Democrats viewed only Trump as a threat, the site reported 16% of Harris supporters described those supporting Trump as an “enemy,” while only 11% of Trump supporters said the same of Harris fans.

Fears were also reportedly expressed that there would be a repeat of Trump’s 2020 denial of election results, with 6 out of 10 respondents saying they were not confident he would accept the result should he lose. While nearly half of all voters feared Trump would attempt to overturn results, only 12% of Republicans expressed the same fear.