Survey comes amid highly divisive election year.
A new Rasmussen Reports survey reveals that nearly half of American voters believe the republic established by the Founding Fathers has come to an end.
The survey, conducted among 1,087 voters, found that 47 percent of respondents agreed with the statement: “The republic the Founders created has already fallen.” Conversely, 39 percent of respondents believe Americans are doing a “good job” of maintaining the nearly 250-year-old government structure of the United States, while the remaining 14 percent were unsure about the state of the republic.
The belief that the republic “has already fallen” is more prevalent among women, with 53 percent agreeing, compared to 43 percent of men. Racial disparities were also evident, as 48 percent of Black voters and 50 percent of Hispanic voters believe the republic has collapsed, compared with 46 percent of White voters.
(Related: 12 Absolutely insane examples that show just how far the U.S. has fallen.)
A stark partisan divide has also emerged from the survey data as over half of Republican voters believe the republic has collapsed, compared to just over a third of Democrats.
This finding adds a layer of complexity to the dismal outlook for historians who revere the ideas of Founding Fathers like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. These late 18th-century revolutionaries not only led the American War of Independence against the United Kingdom but also crafted the modern ideas in the Declaration of Independence and fashioned the republican government structure outlined in the Constitution of the United States.
Moreover, the survey also asked the respondents whether America’s current leaders have “authority from the consent of the governed,” a pivotal phrase from the Declaration of Independence. As it turned out, a substantial 57 percent of voters believe the federal governmentno longer operates with public consent, while 26 percent believe the “consent of the governed” remains intact, and 17 percent were unsure.
The sentiment transcends gender lines, with 60 percent of men and 53 percent of women agreeing with the statement. This skepticism is particularly pronounced among middle-aged and older voters, as 61 percent of those over 40 expressed similar doubts.
Survey comes amid highly divisive election year
This survey comes amid a highly divisive election year where Democratic President Joe Biden faces off against his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump. Both campaigns are framing the election as a critical juncture for the nation’s future, warning of catastrophic consequences should their opponent prevail.
Trump said the multiple criminal cases against him are politically motivated. He argued that his defeat in the upcoming 2024 presidential election would signify the end of democracy. ‘”If we don’t win this election, I don’t think you’re going to have another election in this country,” Trump said during his rally in Ohio.
Meanwhile, Biden countered that a Trump victory would spell the end of the principle of one person, one vote. He cited Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election results and the violent MAGA assault on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
“I’m running because democracy is at stake,” Biden said. “Let there be no question, Donald Trump and his MAGA Republicans are determined to destroy American democracy.”
Aside from warnings from both parties, economic hardships, driven by persistent inflation and the Biden administration’s inaction on the southern border crisis, have amplified frustrations. In other words, the survey indicates that millions of Americans are taking these warnings to heart, with a significant portion believing the republic has already unraveled.
Watch Republican National Committee Co-Chair Lara Trump urging his father-in-law Donald Trump and Joe Biden to debate each other face-to-face in the clip below.
