HAMDEN – Sixty-one percent of Americans think the United States today is not living up to the ideal stated in the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal and have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, while 35 percent think the United States today is living up to that ideal, according to the latest Quinnipiac University poll.
These results of this poll, which was taken in mid-May, comes as the country marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence this July.
There are differences, some stark, along partisan lines, gender, and race on how Americans think about how citizens are living up to the declaration’s ideal.
Republicans (70%-27%) think the United States today is living up to that ideal, while Democrats (87%-11%) and independents (65%-32%) think the United States today is not living up to that ideal.
Men (54%-43%) and women (68%-28%) think the United States today is not doing so. As for race, Black Americans (79%-18%), Hispanic Americans (61%-32%), and white Americans (56%-41%) think the United States today is not living up to that ideal.
“Are we who the Founding Fathers hoped we would be? Though there are clear differences among demographic groups, the U.S. is falling short of that hopeful ideal according to a majority of Americans,” said Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy.
Thirty-seven percent of Americans think the system of democracy in the United States is working, while 57% think it is not working. This is a change from Quinnipiac University’s March 27, 2024 poll, when Americans were divided, with 45% thinking it was working and 49% thinking it was not working.
In the current poll, Republicans (65%-31%) think the system of democracy in the United States is working, while Democrats (74%-23%) and independents (61%-34%) think it is not working.
There are also big differences among age groups:
- 18-to-34-year-olds: 32% say it is working, while 64% say it is not working;
- 35-to-49-year-olds: 29% say it is working, while 61% say it is not working;
- 50-to-64-year-olds: 45% say it is working, while 48% say it is not working;
- 65 years of age and over: 46% say it is working, while 49% say it is not working.
More than two-thirds of Americans polled think democracy will not end in their lifetime, with 10% not offering an opinion.
This is nearly identical to Quinnipiac University’s March 27, 2024 poll.
“It may be battered, but it is not beaten, say Americans about the state of the Democracy. And despite overall concerns, they are confident the bedrock of the country will endure,” added Malloy.
Fifty-three percent of Americans say they are optimistic about freedom of speech being protected in the United States, while 41% percent say they are pessimistic about freedom of speech being protected in the United States.
Republicans (75%-22%) and independents (54%-41%) say they are optimistic about freedom of speech being protected in the United States, while Democrats (59%-35%) say they are pessimistic about freedom of speech being protected in the United States.
For the poll, 1,316 adults nationwide were surveyed from May 14-18 with a margin of error of +/- 3.4 percentage points, including the design effect.
