On the whole, are you very satisfied, fairly satisfied, not very satisfied, or not at all satisfied with the way democracy works in the United States? {INTERVIEWER: DO NOT PROBE DON’T KNOW}
Satisfaction with how democracy works in the U.S. · Asked in 6 waves, 2004–2024 · 24,539 responses · weighted estimates computed from individual responses
Codes that include 'no Pre/Post IW' were dropped for respondents without that interview. Kept and flagged: -9 (other_missing), -8 (dk).
Dashed lines mark changes in how interviews were done, which can shift answers: 1. → mixed mode (2012).
Shares of people who gave an answer. Each column is one wave, evenly spaced rather than to scale in time; hover for exact shares.
| Group | Very satisfied | Fairly satisfied | Not very satisfied | Not at all satisfied | n | MoE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All respondents |
| Poll | Field dates | Mode | Respondents | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANES 2024 Time Series Study Source variable: V242439. | 2024-08-03 to 2025-02-17 | mixed | 5,521 | 4,764 |
| ANES 2020 Time Series Study Source variable: V202440. | 2020-08-18 to 2021-01-04 | mixed | 8,280 | 7,449 |
| ANES 2016 Time Series Study Source variable: V162290. | 2016-09-07 to 2017-01-09 | mixed | 4,270 | 3,648 |
| ANES 2012 Time Series Study Source variable: cses_satisdem. | 2012-09-09 to 2013-01-13 | mixed | 5,914 | 5,510 |
| ANES 2008 Time Series Study Source variable: V085194. | 2008-09-02 to 2008-12-30 | face to face | 2,322 | 2,102 |
| ANES 2004 Time Series Study Source variable: V045241. | 2004-09-07 to 2004-12-19 | face to face | 1,212 | 1,066 |
Dashed lines mark changes in how interviews were done, which can shift answers: 1. → mixed mode (2012).
Shares of people who gave an answer. A group’s column is left blank in waves where its effective sample is under 50; hover for exact shares.
| 11% |
| 56% |
| 26% |
| 7% |
| 4764 |
| ±2 |
| Men | 13% | 56% | 25% | 6% | 2185 | ±3 |
| Women | 9% | 55% | 27% | 8% | 2549 | ±3 |
ANES 2024 Time Series Study · US citizens 18+ (face-to-face samples: contiguous 48 states and DC; web samples: 50 states and DC). Shares of people who gave an answer. n is unweighted; ± is the 95% margin of error at 50% from the weighted effective sample. Groups with an effective sample under 50 are grayed; under 20, hidden.