A recent report from the Pew Research Center reveals that Americans have a bleak outlook on national politics. The report, based on a survey of 8,480 adults, finds that Americans' views of politics and elected officials are overwhelmingly negative. The majority believe that the political process is dominated by special interests and mired in partisan warfare.
According to the survey, just 14% of US adults believe that most elected officials care about the thoughts of people like them. Only 15% believe that elected officials run for office out of a desire to serve the public, with the majority believing that they are motivated by the desire to make money. Additionally, only 26% see the quality of candidates for political office as good.
The survey also found that just 27% of Americans believe that the country's political system is working well, and only 37% have confidence in its future. Responses to an open-ended question about politics yielded overwhelmingly negative words and phrases, such as "divisive" and "corrupt."
Public trust in the federal government is also at one of its lowest points since the late 1950s. Only 16% of Americans say they trust the government in Washington to do the right thing most of the time. This is a significant drop from the roughly three-quarters of Americans who expressed trust in the government in 1958.
Views of Congress are similarly negative, with just 26% rating it favorably. Only 44% believe that voting in elections is an effective way to change the country for the better. The survey also found that 65% of Americans frequently feel exhausted when thinking about politics, while 55% feel angry.
While Americans' views are divided along partisan lines on some issues, there is widespread discontent with the political system across both parties. Majorities of both Democrats and Republicans believe that the parties are more focused on fighting each other than on solving problems. Additionally, both sides give equally poor favorability ratings to Congress.
Despite this discontent, Americans still hold positive views of their local elected officials and state governors. The majority also believe that voting has at least some effect on the country's future direction.
Overall, the Pew Research Center report paints a dismal picture of Americans' views on national politics. The survey reveals a lack of trust in elected officials and the political process, as well as widespread exhaustion and anger. While there are some limits to this discontent, such as positive views of local officials and satisfaction with personal lives, it is clear that Americans are deeply dissatisfied with the state of politics in the country.