Three-quarters of Americans say the U.S. political system needs major reforms or a complete overhaul, according to a new survey.
The CNN/SSRS poll, released Friday, found that 75 percent of U.S. adults believe the country’s political system needs a complete or major reform. Just 4 percent said the system is fine as is.
More than half, 51 percent, of Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents said that the Democratic Party needs major changes. Just over a third, 34 percent, said the party needs minor changes, while another 10 percent said it needs to be completely overhauled. Just 5 percent said the party does not need to be changed, the number show.
On the other side of the aisle, nearly six-in-10 Republicans and GOP-leaning independents, 58 percent, said the Republican Party needs minor changes. Another 19 percent said the party needs major changes while just 7 percent said it needs to be completely overhauled. Some 15 percent said the party does not need to be changed, according to the survey.
The state of the economy, job market and the cost of living are the top issues for voters, 37 percent, in the poll. Immigration and border security followed at 12 percent. Democracy and elections were in third with 9 percent, the poll found.
The latest survey also found that more than half of Americans, 54 percent, said that the country’s best days are in the past. The other 46 percent argued the nation’s best days are still coming.
In the September 2024 iteration of the poll, the figures were flipped, with nearly six-in-10, 59 percent, saying the U.S.’s best days are still ahead, while 41 percent of respondents suggested the nation had peaked.
The CNN/SRSS survey was conducted from Aug. 21-Sept. 1 among 2,077 respondents. The margin of error was 2.7 percentage points.
