A new poll has found that Americans are growing less and less confident in the results of United States elections, and those feelings have steadily declined since January 2021.
The poll was conducted by CNN and SSRS, and it found that along with growing distrust, 48% of Americans think in the next few years, it is at least somewhat likely an elected official successfully overturns the results of an election because their party did not win.
Regarding why respondents felt this way, several said in follow-up interviews that the driving factor was Republicans and Democrats viewing elections entirely differently.
The growing separation between political parties has only gotten worse throughout the last 18 months, with 59% of Americans saying that they have at least some confidence in U.S. elections following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, compared to just 42% today.
For those who are extremely confident, the number was 36% in January 2021 and now sits at 16%.
But, not all Americans feel the same way, as the most significant changes in confidence in elections come from Democrats and Independents, despite Democrats being the political group that is the most confident in American elections.
The poll found that 90% of Democrats reported being at least somewhat confident in elections reflecting the people's will in early 2021. However, that number now sits at 57%.
The number has also taken a dip among Independents, falling from 54% who have some confidence to now only 38%.
As for the last group, Republicans, confidence has remained low but saw a bump throughout the last year and a half, going from 23% to 29%.
The poll was conducted from June 13 to July 13 with a random sample of 1,459 U.S. adults, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 points.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram