According to Pew, the majority of Americans want to reform the country's political, economic, and healthcare systems.
Despite widespread discontent among Americans, very few Americans expressed confidence that such changes could occur.
These findings indicate that Americans are more unhappy than those living in advanced economies.
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Most Americans hope that the new post-pandemic economy will look very different from its current state as it begins to emerge.
According to a Pew Research Center survey, the majority of Americans want major changes to how the US works. Eighty-five per cent of adults surveyed said they would like to see the country's political system reform, and 66% said that they would prefer major economic changes. A little over three-quarters of respondents felt that the healthcare system needs major reform.
These findings indicate that Americans are more dissatisfied than those living in advanced economies. The desire to reform the political system was higher in Spain than Italy (86% and 89% respectively)
Only South Korea, Spain, Greece, and Italy had more dissatisfaction with their national economies that Americans. The US was second in demand for healthcare reform, behind only Greece.
Pew Research Center
These findings reveal that Americans are facing a grim future as they work to recover from the coronavirus epidemic. As rising vaccination rates have encouraged reopenings and increased consumer spending, the US' recovery rate is faster than that of many other countries. Officials say that the US will soon return to full employment after having suffered a slump in economic output during the pandemic.
These improvements have not been enough to address widespread discontent about the country's state. The survey covers the period when virus cases were high, labor shortages curbed hiring, inflation rose to decade-high levels, and the economy was in a state of discontent. Even though recovery was in full swing, there were new obstacles that slowed it down.
While Americans desire major changes in their country, very few Americans are optimistic that those changes will happen. Although 85% of Americans say they want major political reform in the US and 28% believe the system can be changed,
The Pew survey shows that part of the pessimism is due to partisan conflict and a fraught politics. Democrats and Republicans have very different views on the desire to reform certain systems. While 80% believe the economy needs to be completely overhauled, only half of Republicans agree. A mere 39% of Democrats support major healthcare reforms, but only half the Republicans are in agreement.
In the split Senate, 50-50, the partisan divide is clearest. As Republicans block efforts to use the filibuster, Democrats have had difficulty passing much of President Joe Biden’s legislative agenda. The reconciliation process requires a majority of 50 votes to approve some of Biden's social-spending plans. The complicated process is not scalable and bipartisan infighting between progressive and moderate Democrats poses a threat to Biden’s spending goals.
Pew stated that partisan divisions are partly the reason Americans want an overhaul. Pew found that nine-in-10 Americans perceive conflict between members of different political parties. This increases "unhappiness about the state of democracy" and intensifies "strong desire for political reform." Only 41% of respondents in the US said that they are satisfied with the functioning of democracy.
The survey shows that the country is experiencing widespread discontent. Few Americans are happy with their country's healthcare, political, and economic systems. However, most Americans don't believe that major changes can be made and have little faith in democracy.
