---
title: "Many Americans Going to the Polls Are Not Happy With Our Democracy"
description: "Just 46 percent of Americans say they are satisfied with the way democracy is working today in the United States, according to a 2017 Pew Research Center survey."
date: "2018-01-29"
authors:
  - name: "Bruce Stokes"
    job_title: "Former Director, Global Economic Attitudes"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/bruce-stokes/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2018/01/29/many-americans-going-to-the-polls-are-not-happy-with-our-democracy/"
categories:
  - "Democracy"
---

# Many Americans Going to the Polls Are Not Happy With Our Democracy

*Special to [The Hill ](http://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/371172-the-way-americans-feel-about-our-democracy-will-play-big-role-in-2018)*

Just 46 percent of Americans say they are satisfied with the way democracy is working today in the United States, according to a 2017 Pew Research Center [survey](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2017/10/16/globally-broad-support-for-representative-and-direct-democracy/). Naysayers voice the more fervent views, as roughly twice as many U.S. adults say they are not satisfied at all with democracy as say they are very satisfied.

*Read more at [The Hill](http://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/371172-the-way-americans-feel-about-our-democracy-will-play-big-role-in-2018)*