2 out of 3 Americans believe U.S. democracy is under threat – By Courtney Vinopal (PBS Newshour) / July 2 2021
Two-thirds of Americans believe democracy in the United States is under threat, according to the latest PBS Newshour/NPR/Marist poll.
Ahead of the first Fourth of July since an attack on the Capitol, fueled by baseless claims of voter fraud, and as several GOP-led states work now to enact stricter voting rules, majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents express worry about the health of democracy.
At the same time, more people also believe the country is heading in the right direction than at any other time in the last 12 years, according to the poll, though that number — 47 percent — is still a minority.
Views on the direction of the country reflect a sharp partisan split, with far greater optimism coming from Democrats: 87 percent of Democrats believe it’s going in the right direction, but 87 percent of Republicans say the opposite. Overall, 47 percent of adults surveyed saw positive movement — a level not seen since October 2009 – compared to 49 percent who said they did not. That number is also up 20 points from January.
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