US democracy has settled into diminished state, experts find
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The Bottom Line
US democratic health has stabilized but remains significantly lower than pre-2025 levels, according to Bright Line Watch scholars.
How This Affects You
Decreased democratic norms may affect your voting rights, government transparency, and institutional checks on executive power.
AI Summary
Bright Line Watch, a nonpartisan research project surveying hundreds of US scholars, found that American democracy has stabilized at diminished levels following a sharp decline last year. Democratic health metrics remain lower than at any point before Trump's second term began in January 2025, suggesting that erosion of institutional norms has hardened into a new baseline rather than representing a temporary disruption. The public also expresses dim views of American democracy, though opinions diverge sharply along partisan lines about how well the system functions. The study's findings underscore a widening gap between academic assessments of democratic health and public confidence in the system.
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