47 Percent of Americans Say Democracy Isn’t Working: AP Poll

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Nearly half of Americans don’t believe democracy is “working well,” according to a new survey.

Of 1,121 American adults polled this month, 34 percent said democracy in the United States was working “not too well,” while 14 percent said it was working “not at all well.” That compared with 3 percent who said it was working “extremely well,” and another 50 percent who said it was working “somewhat” or “very” well.

The survey was conducted by The Associated Press with the University of Chicago’s NORC Center for Public Affairs Research between October 8-12, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

The results come on the heels of a tumultuous a year for the country. The coronavirus pandemic ignited pandemonium in March, provoking widespread business closures, shutdowns, and rising unemployment. The closing two months of a divisive presidential election similarly witnessed the September 18 death of a Supreme Court justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and brief alarm over President Donald Trump’s health over the first several days of October, after the president’s announcement that he had contracted the coronavirus.

Survey respondents said they see the divide stemming not just from politics, but from disagreement over fundamental values. Fourteen percent said Americans are “in agreement about the most important values,” while 85 percent said Americans “are greatly divided” over the issue.

Participants also said they heavily favored Democrats in this year’s election, with 51 percent saying they plan to vote for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and 36 percent who said they intend to vote for President Donald Trump. Eighteen percent said Trump’s victory would lead to greater unity, while 44 percent said the same of Biden.

One footnote: Just 6 percent of respondents admitted they would “probably not” vote, providing some reason to scrutinize their honesty. Voter turnout data in 2016 indicated a little more than 40 percent of eligible voters failed to show up for that year’s presidential election.