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Democracy

Political tensions are growing. What is the state of American democracy?

Democracy feels imperiled in the U.S.with elections questioned, institutions undermined, and norms challenged. Experts spoke to USA TODAY about the situation, how bad it is, and how to address it.

Ledyard King
USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – Public confidence in government has plummeted. Election results are doubted by many. Partisanship and political violence are rising – and increasingly tolerated.

Is America in danger of losing its democracy?

The most recent Gallup poll found that 60% of American adults had little or no faith in the federal government – the highest level of dissatisfaction since the survey was launched in 1972. This is as Congress continues to investigate the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, by a pro-Donald Trump mob seeking to stop the certification of President Joe Biden's 2020 election victory.

Experts who study the country's worsening political divisions say faith in institutions is at a low point while civil distrust is at its highest in decades.

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