Voters see democracy as under threat, divided on how to save it: poll

American voters overwhelmingly agree that democracy is under threat, but they are divided on how to rescue it, according to a New York Times-Siena College poll published Tuesday.

About 71 percent of registered voters agree that democracy is under threat, and while only 7 percent of voters rank a threat to democracy as a major issue this election cycle, it’s the third-highest listed concern for voters after inflation and the economy, according to the poll.

Respondents are also divided on what has imperiled American democracy.

The largest share of voters, 14 percent, agree that government corruption is to blame for the current threat to democracy.

Respondents are split across several other threats to democracy after that, listing, among others, polarization, President Biden and former President Trump, who is under investigation for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and who has continued to falsely claim the 2020 election was stolen.

But American voters are ultimately optimistic that the system can be saved, according to the poll.

About 81 percent agreed with the statement that democracy can be rescued “within our laws and institutions,” while 17 percent agree with the statement that it must be saved by working “outside the law.”

Of those who said the nation should work outside the law, 11 percent called to take up arms and 37 percent said there needs to be a general fix within the system itself, according to the poll.

The Jan. 6 attack and the Republicans who back Trump’s claims the 2020 election was stolen have highlighted the existing division within the country and the threat to the nation’s democracy.

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack, which just wrapped up its last hearing this month, has argued Trump pushed to stay in power illegally and imperiled the nation’s democratic institutions as a result.

About 45 percent of registered voters in the new poll say Trump is a major threat to democracy, while 22 percent say he is a minor threat and 31 percent say he is not a threat.

More voters, however, say the mainstream media is a major threat to democracy, with 59 percent of voters agreeing with the statement.

Around two-thirds of voters agree Biden won the 2020 election, while 69 percent trust the midterm elections will be accurate.

The New York Times-Siena College poll was conducted from Oct. 9 to Oct. 12 among 793 registered voters. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.