A recent NPR/Ipsos survey says that 64 percent of respondents believe that American democracy is in danger and collapsing. The opinion is felt mainly by Republicans. Two-thirds of the respondents agree with the false claim that “voter fraud facilitated Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election.” Such a claim drove the “Big Lie” that the election was stolen from Former President Donald Trump. Less than half of Republicans answer that they are willing to accept the results of the 2020 election.
“There is a sort of dual reality through which supporters approach what occurred last year and with the U.S. presidential election and democracy. Republicans are creating this belief that there was widespread fraud, and it changed the results in the election.” – Mallory Newall, Ipsos Vice President.
Almost two-thirds of poll respondents agree that American Democracy is in danger now compared to last year. Amongst Republicans, that number escalates to 4 in 5.
Overall, 70 percent of respondents believe that the U.S. is experiencing a crisis and at risk of failing.
Mixed Views About January 6 Attack
The county can’t even conclude what to call that attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2020. Only 6 percent of the survey respondents say it was a “reasonable protest.” More than 50 percent of Democrats say it was an “attempted coup or insurrection.” Republicans, on the other hand, describe it as a “riot gone out of control.”
Americans are also highly divided over what happened on January 6.
“I believe the Democrats manipulated the election. Who would vote for Biden?” – Stephen Weber, a Republican from Woonsocket, Rhode Island.
More than 81 million voted for Biden, while more than 74 million chose Trump. Biden won with 306 electoral votes compared to 232 for Trump.
Still, Weber is skeptical. In a follow-up interview, Weber said he doubts mail-in voting and doesn’t trust that Democratic policymakers respect the country’s best interests.
Meanwhile, Democrats expressed their disappointment about the state of democracy – but for intensely different reasons. They aired their apprehensions about voting restrictions issued by Republican-controlled state legislatures in the 2020 election. For them, the Republicans’ belief in the fiction that Trump won doesn’t make sense.
“When Trump came out with his “Big Lie,” it never occurred that so many Republicans would support him.” – Susan Leonard, Lyme, New Hampshire.
Republicans Continue to Support False Claims About Election Fraud
The survey discovered that backing for false claims in election fraud has been strangely stable over time. One-third of Trump supporters say the U.S. Capitol attack was made by “opponents of Trump,” including Antifa and government agents.
Krissy Cripps, a Republic from Carterville, Illinois, said they might have had some Antifa people. Antifa is a left-wing and anti-racist political movement in the U.S. Even without any proof, Cripps claims that the Democratic National Committee was likely the ones behind the false flag operation.
Claims about cheating that changed the 2020 election results have also been widely refuted. But many Republican voters remain firm about it.
Democrats Want More Responsibility For January 6 Insurgence
The poll discovered widely deviating views of Trump’s role in the events that led to the January 6 attack. Two-thirds of Democrats agreed that “Trump and his supporters broke the law trying to overturn the election.” On the contrary, Republicans believe they were “just exercising their legal right to contest the election results.”
Democrats expressed in the follow-up interviews their frustration with the slow progress of the investigation regarding the January 6 attack. Some expressed disappointment about the length of sentences for those convicted of joining the incident at the Capitol.
About the Study
The study that aimed at answering the question “is American democracy in danger?” was spearheaded by Ipsos. The survey was conducted on December 17-20, 2021. A sample of 1,126 adults from the continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii was interviewed online. The respondents identified themselves as either Democrats, Republicans, or independents.
Ipsos is the world’s 3rd market research and consulting firm based in Paris, France.
