The State We're In: Democracy Edition

Do Americans support democracy?

If you’re thinking “no duh,” the answer might not be as obvious as you think.

In a recent survey, nearly a quarter of Americans said that a strong leader who doesn't have to bother with Congress or elections would be “fairly” or “very good.”

This isn't new. Around the same percentage of people felt that way when the same question was asked in 1995. But why not? Do these people threaten the health of our democracy and democracy itself?

A year out from a very large test to America's democratic process, we're performing a check-up on our democracy, from the viewpoint of young people.

Are they giving up on democracy? Or pushing to make the system we have better?

Produced by Avery J.C. Kleinman.

GUESTS

Yascha Mounk, Associate professor, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies; author: “The People vs. Democracy”; senior fellow, the German Marshall Fund; @Yascha_Mounk

Kate Westa, Senior, University of Michigan; WeListen co-president;

@katewesta

Matthew Post, Sophomore, Yale University; head of advocacy, Yale Undergraduate Prison Project; legal advocate, March for Our Lives; @mattlpost

For more, visit https://the1a.org.

© 2019 WAMU 88.5 – American University Radio.

Copyright 2019 WAMU 88.5. To see more, visit WAMU 88.5.