Sixty-four percent of Pennsylvania voters are more dissatisfied with how American democracy is working today while 35% are satisfied, according to the Oct. 9 Franklin & Marshall College Poll.

Several of the poll questions about regulating artificial intelligence (AI), political party satisfaction and democracy were developed by students in Government Professor Stephen Medvic’s senior seminar class.  

“They had a long list of questions, which we then pared down,” said Berwood Yost, director of the F&M Poll.

Along partisan lines, 62% of Republicans are more satisfied while 86% of Democrats and 69% of independents report being dissatisfied with how democracy is working. In April 2024, 58% of Democrats were satisfied while 70% of Republicans and 64% of independents were dissatisfied.

But large majorities of voters are committed to specific democratic principles. 

According to the poll, most voters, 97%, believe in the rule of law – the presumption of innocence in civil and criminal trials – while 92% support the exercise of free speech, and 91% believe that all citizens deserve an equal say in government.

“I think Americans are generally committed to the notion of independence and liberty,” Yost said.

Most voters, 79%, believe the federal government should regulate AI.

Dive deeper into the F&M Poll. 

Conducted between Sept. 24 and Oct. 5 by the Center for Opinion Research, the poll recorded responses from 929 registered Pennsylvania voters including 399 Democrats, 390 Republicans and 140 independents. The sample error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.