Most Americans think Trump is trying to exercise more power than previous presidents
49% of U.S. adults say Trump is trying to exercise more presidential power than previous presidents and that this is bad for the country.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
U.S. Democracy
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Dissatisfaction with democracy remains widespread in many nations
Across 12 high-income countries, a median of 64% of adults say they are dissatisfied with the way their democracy is working, while a median of 35% are satisfied.
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Striking findings from 2024
Here’s a look back at 2024 through 14 of our most striking research findings.
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Harris, Trump Voters Differ Over Election Security, Vote Counts and Hacking Concerns
90% of Harris voters, versus 57% of Trump voters, are confident the 2024 election will be administered well.
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72% of Americans say the U.S. used to be a good example of democracy, but isn’t anymore
A median of 40% of adults across 34 other countries surveyed in 2024 say U.S. democracy used to be a good example for other countries to follow.
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Americans differ by party, ideology over the impact of social media on U.S. democracy
74% of Republicans say social media has been more of a bad thing for U.S. democracy, compared with a smaller majority of Democrats (57%).
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Social Media Seen as Mostly Good for Democracy Across Many Nations, But U.S. is a Major Outlier
Most think social media has made it easier to manipulate and divide people, but they also say it informs and raises awareness.
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Public Has Modest Expectations for Washington’s Return to Divided Government
Most U.S. adults say President Joe Biden (65%) and Republican leaders in Congress (61%) will be unsuccessful getting their agendas enacted in the next two years; only about a third say the president and GOP leaders will be successful. Republicans are less confident than Democrats in midterm vote counts – but more confident than they were after the 2020 election.
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Turnout in U.S. has soared in recent elections but by some measures still trails that of many other countries
When comparing turnout among the voting-age population in recent national elections in 50 countries, the U.S. ranks 31st.
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Two Years After Election Turmoil, GOP Voters Remain Skeptical on Elections, Vote Counts
There has been a sharp decline in the share of Republican voters who are “very confident” that votes cast at polling places will be counted accurately.
