An Eroding Trust in U.S. Institutions and the Fractured American Dream

The 2026 midterms loom just over a year away and two recent polls, the Pew Research Center’s survey on partisan perceptions and Politico’s national poll on the “American Dream”, paint a dismal portrait of America’s current standing. The polls reveal not only disillusionment with political parties, but a deeper existential rift as the public becomes increasingly skeptical of America’s foundational promises of liberty and justice.

Pew’s survey, conducted among 10,133 U.S. adults from October 7-13, reveals a worrying trend. Only 28 percent of Americans hold a favorable view of the Democratic Party, down from 35% in 2024. For some reason, Republicans appear to fare better at 32%, up from 30% last year. The numbers show an “equilibrium” of sorts, as respondents on both the left and the right choose loyalty less by affection than by aversion to the worse alternative. In other words, people are simply consolidating against the “worse” option. This is great for the short term, but this is not a good long-term solution. People need a good reason to get behind a choice.

Politico, too, fielded a poll in October among 1,500 registered voters. The problem? It exposed a downward shift in the belief that the “American Dream” is attainable. Only 42% of Americans now believe they can achieve the American Dream, a 12-point dive from 54% in 2020. Naturally, the difference is in the political divide. Democrats are twice as likely to deem the dream dead, blaming very real barriers like inequality and systemic racism. Republicans, always repudiating the truth, attribute any pessimism to personal failings or government overreach.

This ever-widening political chasm extends to the solutions as well. 62% of Democrats, according to the poll, favor expansive intervention such as universal basic incoe and free college, while 71% of Republicans prioritize deregulation and tax cuts.

Interestingly, Gen Z and Millennials are way more pessimistic than Boomers, with 55% viewing the American Dream as outdated. Politico’s poll notes a geographic difference. Urban and coastal respondents, 48% pessimistic, make up a larger group than the 37% rural heartland respondents, fueling nonsense narratives of “coastal elites” vs. “forgotten America.”

Unfortunately, both polls signal youth disillusionment. Inflation and housing problems are causing major concern across America, as are concerns over recessions, pandemics, climate change, and food security. What this means, according to the polls, is that the Midterm elections next year could see a massive group of swing voters switch sides. Most Americans today want new leadership, and we are finally beginning to see awakenings of that in the Democratic Party.

We need to take such polls seriously because they signal not just a blip, but a major red flag about America’s trajectory. If the American Dream is split into red and blue lines, the nation could see further radicalization, rising tolerance of right-wing extremism, and ultimately, more violence.

Over the next 12 months, Democrats need to invest time and effort in reaching voters because a year from now, midterm elections will matter greatly and success at the polls will depend greatly on the ability to encourage the participation of young constituents. Turnour tends to hover around 40-45% but intra-party fatigue, coupled with the generational American Dream divide forecast, signals a potential downturn in voter turnout and a possible Democrat loss.

Both the Pew and Politico polls show that malaise trumps ideology; voters are depressed. The 2024 Republican takeover of the White House has disappointed many Democrats, but it has also reinvigorated many with a renewed ambition to win the next election. To do so, Democrats must first succeed in next year’s midterms when every seat counts.

The post An Eroding Trust in U.S. Institutions and the Fractured American Dream appeared first on CounterPunch.org.