Daniel A. Cox and Samantha Goldstein at AEI:
The surge in partisan polarization in America has made it a rarity that Democrats and Republicans could ever find common ground on an issue. However, data from the new January 2021 American Perspectives Survey (APS) reveals one important area where Democrats and Republicans seem to agree. Seventy percent of Democrats and 66 percent of Republicans agree that American democracy only serves the interests of the wealthy and powerful. This sentiment isn’t surprising considering the trend of populism gaining traction on both the left and the right. On the Democratic side, politicians like Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have advocated for increased taxes on billionaires and large corporations. Likewise, some very conservative Republicans, such as Senators Josh Hawley and Marco Rubio, reflect the growing economic populism attracting many on the right through their support for legislation curbing the powers of Wall Street and corporations.
The view that American democracy only serves the interests of the wealthy and powerful is strongly felt among younger partisans ages 18 to 29. Nearly eight in 10 young Democrats (77 percent) and Republicans (79 percent) agree that democracy only works to benefit the wealthy. Older partisans (ages 65 and older), also agree, but by significantly smaller margins. Sixty-two percent of older Democrats and 59 percent of older Republicans say democracy only serves the wealthy and powerful.
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In a Harvard Youth Poll conducted last spring, only 8 percent said the government is working as it should be. While young people are more pessimistic about the state of government, slightly more said they would rather reform American institutions than replace them entirely. Fifty-one percent of young people said the government has problems, but they can be solved through reforming the institutions we already have, not replacing them. A sizable minority (39 percent) of young adults expressed support for doing away with current institutions and creating new ones to replace them.
Not only do younger Americans express greater skepticism about American democracy, their doubts extend to feelings about being American and whether the US serves as a moral example in the world. Younger Americans express far less pride in their nationality than older Americans. In the APS data, seniors are more than twice as likely as young adults to say they are extremely proud to be American (23 percent vs. 55 percent). Older Americans believe more strongly in American exceptionalism than their young adults. Seventy percent of older Americans agree with the statement, “If more countries adopted American values and way of life, the world would be much better off.” Only 43 percent of young adults agree.
