Over half of Americans say democracy failing in new survey

More than half of Americans believe democracy in the US is not functioning well, according to a Gallup survey released Wednesday.

The US-based research firm surveyed over 20,000 adults between July and August, asking respondents to assess the performance of the country's political system. The results show that while most Americans agree on core democratic principles, confidence in how the system operates remains low.

According to the poll, 51% said democracy is "performing poorly or very poorly," compared with 24% who said it is "performing well" and 25% who described it as "okay."

Perceptions varied across political lines. Republicans were more likely to view democracy as functioning well, while Democrats expressed greater dissatisfaction.

The survey also found that 44% of respondents do not trust current US leaders' "commitment to having a strong democracy," compared with 27% who said they do and 28% who were undecided.

Concerns extended to the legal system. Some 55% said mechanisms intended to ensure equal treatment under the law are not working well, while 23% described them as "fair" and 22% said they are functioning well.

Similarly, 55% judged the criminal justice system as "not working well," 18% as "working well" and 27% as "okay," according to the survey.