A large majority of Americans consider political instability the greatest threat to the United States where democracy could “collapse”, according to a poll released Wednesday which confirms the deep division of the country a year after the assault from the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump.
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According to a Quinnipiac University survey, 76% of those polled believe that political instability is the most serious threat to the country, compared to only 19% who cite foreign countries that are opponents of the United States.
The most worried are Democrat activists or sympathizers (83%, against 66% of Republicans) and 18-34 year olds (80%).
In addition, 58% of those questioned fear a “collapse” of their democracy, against 37% who consider it as strong enough to overcome the deep divisions in American society.
Democrat Joe Biden, who promised on January 20, 2021 to “reconcile” the country after Donald Trump’s term in office, seems to have missed his bet, with 53% of Americans believing that these divisions will worsen in the years to come, compared to only 15 % who predict an improvement.
“The fear of an internal enemy rather than of a foreign threat underlines a bitter realization of the Americans on a democracy in danger and of increasingly deep political divisions”, commented Tim Malloy, of Quinnipiac University.
The poll, which covers 1,313 American adults questioned from January 7 to 10 (margin of error of 2.7 percentage points), confirms other recent surveys.
Two-thirds of Americans believed in early January that the attack by supporters of Donald Trump on the seat of Congress on January 6, 2021 was “a sign of growing political violence” and that American democracy was still “under threat” a year later, according to a CBS News poll.
The seriousness of this historic assault on the temple of American democracy is however minimized by 44% of people questioned by Quinnipiac according to whom “we have done too much” and who wish to “move on”. They were 38% in August 2021.
This poll also shows a strong unpopularity of Joe Biden, who receives only 33% of favorable opinions, against 36% in November. A majority of voters disapprove of his action in the fight against COVID-19, on the economy or in foreign policy.
For 49% of those polled, the policy of his administration divides the country against 42% who think that it unites it.
Those elected to Congress are also badly off with 62% of unfavorable opinions for Republicans and 59% for Democrats.