A new national survey finds nearly two-thirds of Americans believe today’s government would fall short of what the Founding Fathers intended, with majorities saying money in politics drives decisions and the public has less influence than it should.
On a milestone like the nation’s 250th birthday, the question isn’t only how far the United States has come. It’s whether Americans think the government has drifted from the country’s founding promises.
Nearly 2 in 3 Americans—63%—say that if the Founding Fathers could somehow see today’s U.S. government, they would conclude it is doing a poor job fulfilling their vision. The result comes from a new national survey conducted by colleagues and the Program for Public Consultation. affiliated with the University of Maryland. in partnership with the university’s Civic Innovation Center.
The survey doesn’t start with a rejection of founding ideals. It starts with a belief that government has moved away from the common-good mission the founders argued for. John Adams wrote that government is “instituted for the common good. ” and James Madison described “the public good” as government’s highest objective. Yet only 22% of Americans say government today is “run for the benefit of all the people.” Another 78% say it is “run by a few big interests looking out for themselves.” More than 6 in 10 Americans also say members of Congress prioritize the interests of campaign donors over the good of the country often or almost always.
That sense of distance shows up in how Americans describe the relationship between elected officials and the public. Six in 10 say the public has less influence over government than the Founding Fathers intended. Nearly 7 in 10 say members of Congress are guided by the views of their constituents less than they should be.
The survey adds a more concrete measure of disconnect. When Americans were asked how often elected officials make the same decisions a majority of Americans would make if they were deciding the issue themselves, the average answer was just 41% of the time.
Taken together, the numbers portray a gap that is hard to miss: Americans don’t just think government is less effective at serving the broader good. They also describe institutions as less responsive to the choices the public itself would make.
When asked what should be done, many Americans point first to money in politics. More than 8 in 10 support a constitutional amendment allowing Congress and state legislatures to limit political spending by corporations and political action committees.
But the survey also finds room for an approach that doesn’t require changing the Constitution. Sixty-eight percent say members of Congress should make a greater effort to understand the views of their constituents. Two-thirds agree that elections alone are not enough and that government should actively seek public input between elections.
For most of American history, getting informed public input on complex policy questions was difficult. The survey frames today’s environment differently—citing tools that allow people to consider facts and competing arguments before weighing in. It points to methods such as citizen assemblies, deliberative forums, and large-scale public consultations.
Support is strong for those options. After considering arguments for and against them, 85% favored elected leaders consulting the public in these ways and taking the results into account. Nearly 8 in 10 Americans also say they believe the founders themselves would approve.
As the country marks 250 years of self-government, the survey message is blunt in its consistency. Americans say government has become too distant from the people it serves—and restoring trust. the findings suggest. may require reforms that bring the public’s views into the policy process more deliberately.
One practical starting point, in the survey’s framing, is straightforward: elected leaders making a greater effort to understand and reflect the views of the American people.
United States economy U.S. politics public opinion survey Founding Fathers campaign finance constitutional amendment Congress civic innovation citizen assemblies public consultations democratic governance