Ahead of the July Fourth holiday and the country’s 249th birthday, three-quarters of Americans say democracy is under serious threat, according to a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll.
Nearly three-quarters also see politically motivated violence as a major problem.
The findings come at a time of great political volatility. In the midst of Donald Trump’s second term as president, the country is polarized and sharply divided.
The U.S. is grappling with what it means to be American, who is essential to its story, who belongs, who doesn’t and which direction the country should take — all while Americans are expressing very little faith in its political leadership, the survey finds.
Marist interviewed 1,381 adults from June 23-25. Respondents were reached via text message or online. The survey was available in both English and Spanish. The poll has a +/- 2.9 percentage point margin of error. The survey was weighted to reflect the demographic breakdowns in the U.S. Census.
Who thinks democracy is threatened
The overwhelming majority of respondents — 76% — said democracy is under serious threat. That’s statistically unchanged from April of this year, but down significantly from August of 2023 when 87% overall said there was a serious threat to democracy.
Republicans are largely responsible for the decline, going from 88% saying there was a serious threat — while Democrat Joe Biden was president — to 57% now.