More than 80 percent of voters are worried about US democracy: poll

More than 80 percent of voters say they are worried about the state of democracy in the U.S., according to a new Bipartisan Policy Center/Morning Consult poll released exclusively to The Hill on Tuesday. 

Eighty-two percent of voters said they are worried about democracy in the U.S., including 40 percent who said they are “very worried.” The concern is evident among Republicans and Democrats, with 84 percent of voters in each party saying they are concerned about the state of democracy in the country. 

However, the poll shows that 59 percent of Americans do not have confidence in political parties to reach across the aisle to pass bipartisan solutions. Sixty-two percent of Republicans lack confidence, compared with 50 percent of Democrats.

The findings come as Congress prepares to come back from recess next month and a potential government shutdown looms. Lawmakers will need to pass a federal budget by Sept. 30. If lawmakers cannot agree to pass 11 out of 12 spending bills, the government will shut down. 

In a client report Sunday, Goldman Sachs warned that it now views a government shutdown later this year as “more likely than not” because of differences over spending issues and “potential complications from various political issues.” 

On top of that, House Republicans are openly mulling an impeachment inquiry into President Biden. Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) saidSunday that an impeachment inquiry into the president was a “natural step forward” following the House GOP’s investigation into the Biden family’s foreign business dealings.

The poll also gauged voters’ feelings on issues like the economy and artificial intelligence.

Sixty-seven percent of respondents said it was “very important” for both parties to work together to pass bipartisan legislation on the economy. Eighty-eight percent of voters named inflation as a top concern, and 84 percent said it was having an impact on their spending habits and finances. Meanwhile, 73 percent of voters said they were concerned about job loss due to the rise in artificial intelligence. Forty-six percent said they feel negatively about the rise in artificial intelligence usage and services. 

The Morning Consult/Bipartisan Policy Center poll was conducted Aug. 21-24 among 1,959 registered voters. The margin of error was plus or minus 2 percentage points.