According to a Gallup poll conducted from December 2-18, 2024, most Americans remain dissatisfied with the way democracy is working in the United States, 61%. But, the 34% who are happy with it is up from the 28% recorded a year ago.
The Gallup poll dates back to 1984 found that satisfaction with democracy is raining on the low end of the trend. Levels were higher in the 1980s and 1990s. There was a record high 61% satisfaction rating in 1984, but in June 1992 that fell to 36% when the rescission and misconduct by members of Congress created ‘angry voters’. It was back up to 50% in 1994.
Gallup didn’t ask the question from 1992-2020 but many other polling organizers did. CNN conducted two surveys in 2010 and 2016 reporting that 40% of Americans were then satisfied with the way things were working. Lower than the 80s and 90s but higher than today.
Today, the satisfaction level matches what was recorded in January 2021, shortly after the disputes about the 2020 elections led to a violent insurrection attack on the U.S Capitol, disrupting the electoral vote certification that would recognize Joe Biden as the next president of the United States.
The increase in satisfaction is due to Republicans being happy that Donald Trump won election. 33% of Republicans are happy, which is nearly double to what was measured in 2023. Democrats 35% is similar to last years 38% but down from 47% in January 2021. Independents are happier now than a year ago, 34% versus 27%. The resulting changes by party group means that Republicans, Democrats, and independents now measure similar levels of satisfaction, which is rare.
Historically, supporters of the current presidents party tend to express higher levels of satisfaction with democracy than the opposing party. The exception is in December 1998, when the Republican-led House of Representatives was impeaching then president Democrat Bill Clinton and more Republicans than Democrats were happy with the workings of U.S democracy.
Gallup recorded a decline in satisfaction between 2021 and 2023 among Americans with only a high school education or less, from 36% to 21%. There was little change in other education groups over the same time, leading to an education gap in views of how the system was working.
The current survey has 34% of those with a high school education or less satisfied, almost back to 2021. Other education groups levels were steadier in 2021, 2023, and 2024. The gap between those with high school or less educations and those with postgraduate educations has shrunk from 17 points in 2023 to just 6 points today. Americans with some college education but no degrees express slightly less satisfaction than other groups now, especially when compared to postgraduates.
Americans largely express dissatisfaction with how democracy is working in the United States, though to a lesser degree than in late 2023. Trump’s victory in the 2024 presidential election could be used as an explanation for why Republican satisfaction has increased in the last few years. Today, Republicans are just as satisfied as Democrats and independents. But, satisfaction overall is still much lower now than is was in the 1980s and 1990s when Americans were more trusting of the government, more confident in public institutions and more upbeat about national conditions.