Americans remain hopeful about democracy despite fears of its demise – and are acting on that hope

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Ray Block Jr, Penn State; Andrene Wright, Penn State, and Mia Angelica Powell, Penn State

(THE CONVERSATION) President Joe Biden will convene world leaders beginning on March 29, 2023, to discuss the state of democracies around the world.

The Summit for Democracy, a virtual event being co-hosted by the White House, is being touted as an opportunity to “reflect, listen and learn” with the aim of encouraging “democratic renewal.”

As political scientists, we have beendoing something very similar. In the fall of 2022 we listened to thousands of U.S. residents about their views on the state of American democracy. What we found was that, despite widespread fears over the future of democracy, many people are also hopeful, and that...