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Question Twenty
"Is today's America more democratic or less democratic than it was 10 years ago?"
10 years ago was 2008. A financial crisis had gripped the nation. Just as many people (43%) said that today’s America is less democratic than 10 years ago as said America is less democratic today than it was at its foundation. Only 10% say that 2018 America is more Democratic than 2008 America. “Equally Democratic” only beat “Less Democratic” by 3%. Gerrymandering, voter registration laws, and the Electoral College’s dissonance with the popular vote could be some of the specific issues that people thought of when answering. However, many liberally minded, but not only liberally minded, people see the Trump administration as an attack on democratic institutions. Are answers to this question extremely influenced by the political views of the respondent? Yes. But, remember, this survey is subjective and the goal was to learn the opinions of Americans.
Question Nineteen
"Is today's America more democratic or less democratic than it was 50 years ago?"
50 years ago was the late 60’s and early 70’s. Some of the older participants lived through this time and can genuinely compare their own experiences. However, people usually remember the past with great nostalgia. This time, more people chose “Equally Democratic” than chose “More Democratic.” However, “Less Democratic” still came out on top as the most chosen answer.
"Is today's America more democratic or less democratic than it was 100 years ago?"
Question Eighteen
100 years ago was the late 1910’s and 1920’s. WWI was still being fought and the country was about to enter the Gilded Age, which was a time of extreme wealth inequality. During this time, women gained the right to vote. Were these facts, and others, on the minds of all respondents? Of course not. History teachers would have loved that to be the case, but those facts do not always stay with people through the years. So, why did I use 100 years ago? I wanted to see if there was a large change in the percentages of the answers for comparisons to different time periods. There were some shifts, though not large ones. “More Democratic” gained percentage share of the answers, and “Relatively Equal” and “Less Democratic” both lost percentage share of the answers. There were changes, but more people still said America was more democratic 100 years ago.
"Is today's America more democratic or less democratic than it was at its foundation?"
Question Seventeen
Surprised? I was at first too. My first answer to this question was an absolute MORE DEMOCRATIC. I believe I can safely say that respondents understood the "foundation" referred to the adoption of the Constitution. During the first years after the adoption of the Constitution the people who could vote in elections were white, landowning men who were at least twenty-one years old. A very small portion of the population was able to vote. Today, many more groups that used to be excluded have secured their suffrage. More Americans can vote in 21st century America than in 18th century America. However, while more people can exercise their right to vote, how much power does that exercise still hold over government? Big business, the media, and interest groups appear to have an incredible amount of power over government. More can vote, but are those votes losing their sway to other, non-elected bodies and organizations?
"The basic structure of American democracy..."
Question Sixteen
Only 6% of respondents believe that the basic structure of American democracy needs no change. Only 1% believe that America requires a non-democratic government. A much smaller number of people chose "Not Sure" as an answer to Question Sixteen than to Question Fifteen. People are more sure of their opinions on changes to American democracy than they are of their opinions of if democracy is good for America. 86% of respondents say that American democracy needs changes; however, they vary in their opinion in how many changes and how drastic the changes should be.
While 86% is above the "vast agreement" threshold, I did not include this question in the video. It does not really apply to the question of citizenship. The question did not ask about how much change a good citizen wants. What this question shows is that American citizens, no matter their quality of citizenship, want change to American democracy.
"Is democracy the best form of government for America?"
Question Fifteen
For many, the words America and democracy go hand in hand. However, there is not vast agreement among Americans around the idea that democracy is the best form of government for America. Participants who said yes split among cynical and idealistic reasons. Participants who said no were also split. One fifth or respondents said they were not sure if democracy is the best form of government for America. Some reasons could be that recent events have made them unsure about democracy, or they could feel to uninformed to make a decision. About half of the "Other" answers either said yes or no but with reasons not provided in the survey questions.
What did the other half of the "Other" answers say? They said that America is not a democracy. Instead, those respondents said that America is a Constitutional Republic. Sure, it is a Constitutional Republic. The Constitution requires democratic elections to fill the positions of the Republic. Therefore, formal power is given to officials who are either directly or indirectly chosen by the citizens through free, frequent, fair, and contested elections. Given that, American government is certainly strucured to be a democracy.
Thought on American Democracy
The questions on this page relate to the participants' views on the basic structure of American democracy.