Voters Are Deeply Skeptical About the Health of American Democracy

Nearly half of all voters are skeptical that the American experiment in self-governance is working, with 45 percent believing that the nation’s democracy does not do a good job representing ordinary people, according to a new New York Times/Siena College poll.Three-quarters of voters in the United States say democracy is under threat, though their perception of the forces imperiling it vary widely based on partisan leanings.And a majority of voters believe that the country is plagued by corruption, with 62 percent saying that the government is mostly working to benefit itself and elites rather than the common good.The eroding faith in the nearly 250-year-old American system of government follows four years of unparalleled challenges: a violent riot in an attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election, the criminal conviction of former President Donald J.

Trump and Mr.Trump’s continued insistence that the democratic process is rigged.Coupled with stubborn inflation, divisive culture wars and geopolitical crises, voters are expressing exasperation with American politics and a government that they believe has failed to serve them at the most basic level.“I even have to go to a food bank, and my husband and I make a decent salary, and we still can’t wholly make ends meet with three children,” said Tyra Jackson-Taylor, 51, a social worker from Norfolk, Va.

“It’s just a lot, me having to work and him work overtime, just to try to make the ends meet.”Such frustrations have left 58 percent of voters believing that the nation’s financial and political systems need major changes or a complete overhaul.Some wonder why the government seems unable to make significant progress on pressing issues....