More Americans are concerned that democracy in the U.S. is in danger of collapse, according to a new poll from Quinnipiac University.
The poll’s findings, which were published on Wednesday, come ahead of President Joe Biden’s scheduled prime-time address to the nation on Thursday night. Biden is expected to address threat to democracy during the speech.
The Quinnipiac poll found that 67 percent of Americans believe democracy is in danger of collapse compared to 29 percent who did not. This was a nine-point increase from a Quinnipiac poll in January, which found that 58 percent of Americans believed that U.S. democracy was in danger and 37 percent did not.
There was also broad bipartisan agreement with 69 percent of both Democrats and Republicans saying they believed democracy was in danger, as well as 66 percent of independents.
“In a rare moment of agreement, Americans coalesce around an ominous concern. Democracy, the bedrock of the nation, is in peril,” said Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy.
The Quinnipiac poll was conducted from August 24 to 29 among 1,584 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of +/-2.5 percent.
At 67 percent, a clear majority of Americans in the poll are concerned about the democracy and that figure is approaching the share of Americans who expressed similar concerns in the immediate aftermath of the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
A Quinnipiac poll published on January 11, 2021 found that 74 percent of voters believed U.S. democracy was under threat.
On January 6, rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to prevent the certification of President Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory. The election was certified later that day, after the Capitol was cleared of rioters.
Investigations into the events surrounding the Capitol riot are still ongoing, including the bipartisan House of Representatives’ Select Committee, which is expected to resume hearings in the fall.
President Biden will speak at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia on Thursday and his remarks will focus on “the continued battle for the soul of the nation,” according to a White House official cited by NBC News.
The president will reportedly discuss democracy and will say that Americans’ right are at risk.
“He will make clear who is fighting for those rights, fighting for those freedoms, and fighting for our democracy,” the White House official said.
Source: Newsweek
