Americans are exceptionally anxious about their political system, according to new international polling from Gallup, a situation that sets the country apart from other rich and powerful nations.

About one-third of Americans rated politics and government as the top issue facing their nation, behind only Taiwan — which faces the prospect of an invasion from China — and on par with Slovenia, Spain and South Korea.

The United States also stands out for the anxiety its younger residents have over economic issues, with younger Americans more likely than young adults in many of the other 107 surveyed countries to say affordability and other pocketbook issues are worrying them

  • notannpc@lemmy.world
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    7 days ago

    It’s almost like we’ve been watching the checks and balances we were taught would protect us from tyranny fall apart in front of our eyes to a frail, old, nincompoop.

    Congress has basically conceded its power to a pedophile. Could that be why we’re so anxious? Or perhaps because the DOJ is allowing laws to be flagrantly violated in public with zero consequences as long as you are aligned with the pedophile and his goals?

    • lechekaflan@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      Congress has basically conceded its power to a pedophile.

      And to a bunch international mobsters relying on the motherfucker not only to have the US collapse on itself but also dismantle the embargoes and subpoenas aimed against them.

      Country goes down, they’ll have a field day. Interpol would also become toothless as transnational crimes are no longer pressurized.

  • BigMacHole@sopuli.xyz
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    7 days ago

    If ONLY there was SOME way to Have Known TRUMP would do Things like this during his SECOND TERM AS PRESIDENT!

    • Kabe@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      The actual problem is far bigger than Trump; It’s the corporate duopoly masquerading as a democracy that created the conditions necessary for the rise of Trump and the MAGA movement in the first place.

      • bearboiblake@pawb.social
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        7 days ago

        It’s bigger, still - the underlying problem is capitalism. Even if we reform the entire electoral system but remain capitalist the problem will reoccur.

    • TheProtagonist@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      Trump is only the puppet of some ultra-right-wing forces behind him in cooperation with tech-oligarchs seeking to take over power.

    • Reygle@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      Like direct, documented quotes or something pants-crappingly (relevant pun intended) obvious like that? What a world it would be if we had such things and a general population WHO COULD READ THEM

    • DarkFuture@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      Yup.

      We’re becoming Russia 2.0 and there’s a pretty slim chance of that not happening.

      America was warned. America chose not to listen.

      Actual fascists are in control of our federal government and under no circumstances do fascists allow fair elections. We’re most likely cooked unless something extreme happens.

  • DarkFuture@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    I’m not sure “exceptionally anxious” is a sufficient enough term for an actual fascist takeover of our federal government.

    I’d go with abject dread.

  • Furbag@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    The time to be concerned about the direction of the political system was November of 2024.

    It’s quite literally too late to do anything about it now. If Trump wants to cancel elections, there will be much hand-wringing and finger-waggling while congress debates about the legality of such a thing in a committee to no avail and the courts slow-walk any kind of injunction that would preemptively prevent them from doing it before it actually mattered.

    Why should any of us be surprised that the guy who tried to subvert democracy once before is brazenly and openly stating his desire to do so again? This result was so utterly predictable that I feel secondhand embarrassment for anybody just now getting anxious about the political system.

    • village604@adultswim.fan
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      6 days ago

      It’s not too late to do anything, but it’s too late to do it through political channels.

    • hector@lemmy.today
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      6 days ago

      It’s not just “the guy,” it’s the party. This has been thinly veiled since at least they stole the 2000 election. Right after they took that despite voter suppression, removing valid voters from rolls, understaffing democratic districts with defective machinery they may have sabotagaed on purpose,( ie not emptying the “hanging chads” from the container, the machine punched holes, didn’t work when bin full.) They also physically threw away ballots from Broward and Miami-Dade. Then they shipped a violent mob in to Miami to shut down the vote count.

      Other stuff too, but all while the democrats did nothing outside of court. In court they hired the most high powered respected lawyers they could, that’s what they did in it’s entirity. No speeches about Voters Decide Elections Not Courts! Thundering from a pulpit. No denunciations of the underhanded tactics, dangers to our way of life, the arrogance of the steal. The didn’t ship in their own partisans to protect election workers, didn’t organize any protests to speak of.

      They just let their valid concerns be fillibustered by the republicans, that ran out the clock, and threatened violence, and the latter is what won over Ruth Bader Ginsburg that crossed over and sided with the conservatives allowing them to run out the clock with bush up 500 votes or whatever it was, despite valid votes many times greater than that not counted because of the hanging chads, the hole punches not removed completely because the trays were not emptied and whatever else. They didn’t find the thrown out votes even as it was rumoured dumpsters were full of votes in some districts. There were a lot of votes that no reasonable person could argue shouldn’t be counted, that were lawfully cast with no fault of voters, that weren’t counted.

      Ginsburg apparently crossed over after having been afraid of political violence, in general. So anwering the brooks brothers riots, even after the fact, could have changed everything. Organizing your own partisans to camp out with election officials, to protest, to call out anyone involved in the brooks brothers riots, could have prevented everything.

      But they stole it, and right after started their Voter Integrity, Voter Fraud campaigns, accusing regular people of fake voting, and made laws demanding ID, demanding proofs of ID and citizenship and tools to remove voters from rolls before elections.

      The president just commandeered the system, and made it so obvious in your face the democrats couldn’t well ignore it during election season at least. But none of this ends with him. They will be stealing elections unless they are stopped. We had stopped them in 2021 but decided not to, so everyone gave up fighting because we were doomed.

  • Almacca@aussie.zone
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    7 days ago

    Us non-American are also very anxious about America’s political system. Y’all have too many bombs and not enough i.q. points.

    • Cherry@piefed.social
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      I can see how it’s scary for people. No one wants to believe that their state or country is a battleground. It’s easy to say hey you all got guns get civil warring from the outside. As a person where do you step in? Where’s the line?

      • When it affects your moral outrage?
      • When the politicians corruption and/or perverse behaviours are brazenly being displayed?
      • When it affects your disposable income?
      • When your fav barista disappears?
      • When you see your fellow citizen being executed on the street?

      For most of the modern Western world I’m gonna say we are post third point. USA has demonstrated it ramps up quick and a vast majority are tolerating it.

      • a4ng3l@lemmy.world
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        7 days ago

        For me you got #2 and #3 mixed. I got financially affected before the outrageous and brazen display of fuckery some have adopted in Europe. That or my perception has been recently altered.

  • BigBenis@lemmy.world
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    You mean the one currently spiraling into “murdering citizens in the street”-level fascism?

  • supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz
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    7 days ago

    I’m past anxious, more like Im fairly at peace that my quality of life is going to plummet along with everyone elses’ and worrying about making it through is a comical pursuit against terrible odds.

  • Cherry@piefed.social
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    7 days ago

    About one-third of Americans rated politics and government as the top issue facing their nation.

    TBH I expected more, that leaves 2 thirds that are unsure despite a ton of evidence. This is why trump got voted in. I’m not sure what more he can do before a good majority see the problem.

    • gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      Honestly, knowing American culture and how lots of us refuse to recognize how food prices rent healthcare etc. things that usually top issues are consequences of politics and government, one-third saying “Actually the government is my biggest problem” is a really high number

    • Jack_Burton@lemmy.ca
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      I wish it was higher as well but unfortunately it’s not surprising. These things seem to fall into the same average, and not just the US, it’s in Canada too; one-third is rational, one-third is irrational, and one-third is apathetic.

  • fermionsnotbosons@lemmy.ml
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    It’s about time the ‘average American’ started questioning what the fuck this system is doing. Many of us have only been trying to show them how messed up it is for the past 250 years or so.

    Seriously though, it really is way more tense than I have ever seen it. The kinds of political conversations I am having with neighbors and coworkers are ones that I never would’ve imagined being able to have even 5 years ago.