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Are you worried about our democracy?
A major new bipartisan poll indicates you probably are, and you're not alone.
According to the poll, published last week, eight in 10 Americans say they are either "very" or "somewhat" concerned about the condition of democracy here, and a full half think the United States is in "real danger of becoming a nondemocratic, authoritarian country."
A majority of Americans, 55 percent, see democracy as "weak," and 68 percent believe it is "getting weaker."
It's not hard to understand why - especially in these hyper-partisan days and against a backdrop of uncivil screaming, our president's polarizing rhetoric, perennial congressional paralysis, an election-meddling foreign enemy and our own government's heartless and careless seizing of immigrant children.
Worry? We worry? Why worry? The president rails against the free press, free speech, the American justice system and our rule of law. Congressional representatives and senators bail out of their offices rather than challenge him. Congressional leaders hold votes hostage - unless it is to give huge tax cuts to the rich. Our attorney general puts brown children in internment camps without so much as a fingerprint or an ID bracelet that might someday reunite them with their deported parents. What and who is next?
The nationwide poll was conducted between April 28 and May 8, 2018, and 10 focus groups were held in five states from March 12 to April 18, 2018, to examine Americans' attitudes about democratic principles and institutions at home, as well as their support for U.S. policies that advance democracy abroad.
The work was commissioned by the George W. Bush Institute, the University of Pennsylvania's Biden Center and Freedom House, which tracks the vitality of democracies around the world. The three groups partnered to create the Democracy Project. The specific goal is to monitor the health of the American system. Even the survey itself was crafted in a bipartisan way - designed and conducted by North Star, a Republican firm, and Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, a Democratic firm.
The findings are stark, with the poll and focus groups suggesting that Americans' overarching frustrations are firmly rooted in perceptions of racism, discrimination and the role of big money in politics.
Those answers enjoyed diverse support, but the survey did find a partisan divide in respondents' answers to whether America is in "real danger of becoming a nondemocratic, authoritarian country" or "there is no real danger." Overall, 50 percent said there's a real danger and 43 percent said there's not. But 57 percent of self-identified Democrats said the danger is real, while only 37 percent of Republicans saw "real" danger.
The survey findings also contain a glimmer of good news. Americans overwhelmingly still support the concept of democracy and believe it's important to keep the system we've inherited.
Asked to rank the importance of living in a democracy on a scale of one to 10, with 10 being "absolutely important," 60 percent picked 10. Overall, 84 percent picked a number between six and 10. Among Democrats, it was 92 percent. Among Republicans, it was 81 percent.
The survey and focus group researchers also sought solutions. They tested messages and actions that may be used to galvanize support for democracy. In a report on their work, they said the advocacy message that resonated most with Americans featured both a warning and a call to action. Respondents reported feeling more favorable toward the American democratic system after hearing a message that promoted civic engagement as a means of preventing their freedoms and rights from being "whittled away," researchers wrote.
Former President Bush in a statement told The Washington Post, "We hope this work can be a step toward restoring faith in democracy and democratic institutions."
And former Vice President Joe Biden said the research shows "we can't take our freedoms for granted - we have to work for them, and we have to defend them."
How do we do that? What's the simplest, quickest, most direct way to exercise civic engagement?
It's a one-word answer.
Vote.