Americans continue to feel U.S. democracy is under threat — CBS News poll
Americans continue to believe democracy and the rule of law are under threat — a view that's remained high over the last year and is at 72% today — though they believe that for an assortment of reasons.
The influence of money in politics tops the list of reasons, among those who feel it is threatened. The potential for political violence concerns most across party lines. Two-thirds cite people trying to overturn elections as a major threat. Just under half of Americans believe a major threat comes from people voting illegally, but this view is held by a majority of Republicans .
And perhaps related to that influence of money, there's still a sizable number who see a threat that seems to stem from a feeling of a lack of efficacy or agency: the idea that "most people don't have a say."
This CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,085 U.S. adult residents interviewed between August 29-31, 2022. The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, and education based on the U.S. Census American Community Survey and Current Population Survey, as well as to 2020 presidential vote. The margin of error is ±2.6 points.
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Anthony Salvanto, Ph.D., is CBS News' director of elections and surveys. He oversees all polling across the nation, states and congressional races, and heads the CBS News Decision Desk that estimates outcomes on election nights. He is the author of "Where Did You Get This Number: A Pollster's Guide to Making Sense of the World," from Simon & Schuster (a division of Paramount Global), and appears regularly across all CBS News platforms. His scholarly research and writings cover topics on polling methodology, voting behavior, and sampling techniques.
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