Tracking confidence in democracy this election season

Surveys reveal bipartisan growing concern over misinformation, political violence

The States United Democracy Center, recipients of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy's Brown Democracy Medal, recently surveyed nearly 8,000 Americans to gauge their attitudes about elections, voting and political violence.

Of the total participants, 41% identify as voters who lean toward the Democratic party, 39% toward the Republican party and 17% as independent voters. The five surveys, conducted from June 2023 to June 2024, found Americans to hold pro-democracy views though there are still concerns about disinformation and the overall quality of American democracy. Here are some of the key findings:

• Forty-seven percent of participants reported feeling completely or fairly confident that American elections are free, fair and secure. Only 36% said they felt slightly or not at all confident. 
• Seventy-three percent of respondents either strongly agree or somewhat agree with the statement “It is more important to make sure every legal vote is counted than it is for my preferred candidate for president to win the election in 2024.” 
• Forty-four percent of participants strongly disagree with the claim that the 2020 election was rigged against Donald Trump while 19% said they strongly agree. Democrats are more likely to disagree that the election was rigged than independents and Republicans.
• On American views of election fraud, 36% said there is little or no election fraud in the U.S., 31% said there might be fraud, 26% said fraud is a significant problem and 7% said they’re unsure.
• The majority of Republicans, Democrats and independents (about 72%) report feeling somewhat or very concerned that false or misleading information might affect the outcome of the 2024 election. 
• Sixty-six percent of respondents said they think political violence has increased over the past few years, with 45% said they recognize political violence as a major problem while 46% said it’s a minor problem or not much of a problem.

Click here to read the full report on "Tracking Attitudes About Elections and Political Violence Over Time."

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