By: Melanie Phillips and Grayson Wormser

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The 2024 elections unfolded against a backdrop of deep concern for the state and future of democracy, with voters from across the political spectrum perceiving it to be at risk—albeit for vastly different reasons. Despite the lingering doubts about election results from 2020, this year marked a significant shift. Americans overwhelmingly agreed that the 2024 elections, both nationally and in their local communities, were conducted fairly and accurately. This renewed confidence was accompanied by historic levels of voter turnout, driven by heightened political tensions, aggressive campaigning, and widespread concern about the state of democracy itself.

With so much at stake, Citizen Data set out to understand how voters perceived the election process and state of democracy through pre and post-election surveys. Here’s what we found:

TRUST IN ELECTIONS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASES POST-ELECTION

In stark contrast to 2020, when large numbers of Republicans expressed low confidence in election results, overall trust in our elections instead increased 8% from October to November this year. Looking closer, the percentage of respondents who “definitely” trust the results in 2024 rose from 40% in October to 49% in November, while those who “probably” trust the results held steady at around 35%. Skepticism—those who say they would “probably not” trust election results—also decreased slightly, from 9% to 6%.

Partisan differences in trust were notable. Following the 2024 elections, 95% of Republicans and 85% of Independents said they trusted the election outcome—a significant increase from pre-election levels, with trust rising 40 percentage points among Republicans and 19 points among Independents. However, trust among Democrats declined from 90% to 71%, though more than two-thirds still expressed confidence. This contrasts sharply with 2020 when Republican trust plummeted following President Trump’s loss.

AMERICANS ARE MORE SATISFIED WITH DEMOCRACY AFTER THE ELECTION

The 2024 general election led to a notable rise in Americans’ satisfaction with democracy. The share of people who felt “very satisfied” increased from 12% in October to 20% in November, while those who were “satisfied” rose slightly from 39% to 41%. This post-election surge suggests that the electoral process reassured some voters about the integrity of the election and likely reflects their approval of the outcomes.

As expected, satisfaction with democracy shifted differently across partisan lines after the 2024 election. Republicans saw a significant increase, with satisfaction rising from 49% in October to 74% in November. Independents also experienced a smaller but notable uptick, from 46% to 57%. In contrast, Democrats’ satisfaction dropped sharply, declining from 63% to 50% over the same period.
Despite these shifts, the majority of Republicans, Independents, and Democrats still reported being satisfied with democracy. This indicates that while perceptions of democracy are influenced by whether election outcomes align with political preferences, they are not entirely dictated by them. Instead, it underscores a more nuanced and enduring confidence in the democratic process as a whole.

The 2024 election also had a notable impact on satisfaction with democracy among financially insecure groups, cutting across partisan lines. Previous Citizen Data research highlights a strong connection between financial security—encompassing wealth, income, and stability—and indicators of civic engagement and trust in democracy.
This election, satisfaction with democracy rose sharply among financially insecure individuals, from 34% before the election to 52%. Similarly, those who are financially stable but stressed saw their satisfaction increase from 60% to 75%. These findings suggest that the election temporarily alleviated broader dissatisfaction with democracy across economic groups, likely reflecting the salience of economic concerns.

AMERICANS DIDN’T THINK THEIR VOTE MATTERED “A LOT” IN STATE AND PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

A key element of voter sentiment is the belief that their voice is heard and that their vote matters in elections. In our post-election study, we examined Americans’ confidence in the impact of their vote at both the presidential and state levels. At the presidential level, only 4 in 10 voters (43%) felt their vote mattered a lot, with only two-thirds (68%) feeling it mattered at least somewhat.

Interestingly, men were more likely than women to feel their vote mattered, with 50% of men versus 38% of women saying their vote mattered at the state level.
Nevertheless, around 30% of voters continue to feel as though their vote doesn’t matter, highlighting the continued need for reforms to our electoral system that help increase representatives and responsiveness among our elected leaders.

AMERICAN VOTERS ARE ALSO MORE OPTIMISTIC ABOUT DEMOCRACY POST-ELECTION

Optimism about the future of American democracy also saw a notable rise, offering hope amid ongoing challenges. The percentage of respondents who felt “very optimistic” quadrupled, jumping from 5% in October to 20% in November. Meanwhile, the share of those who were “somewhat optimistic” held steady at 27%, indicating a stable level of hope among many Americans. Gender and partisan divides in optimism were notable. Among men, those who felt “very optimistic” doubled from 11% to 22%, while women saw a smaller increase from 15% to 17%.
Despite these gains, challenges remain: over a third of voters remain pessimistic about the future of democracy.

Generationally, Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers showed growing optimism, with Gen Z experiencing a sharp decline as seen below. These trends reflect a rising overall sense of hope while highlighting ongoing concerns among younger generations and partisan groups about the future of democracy in the U.S.

THE KEY TAKEAWAY

In large part, elections this year ran smoothly with few disruptions. Election systems functioned almost flawlessly, with threats of violence not materializing and large-scale misinformation having minimal impact on outcomes. As a result, Americans’ satisfaction and optimism about democracy increased, with many expressing renewed confidence in the electoral process. Trust in vote accuracy and election outcomes also improved, reflecting the democracy community’s successful efforts to strengthen faith in the system.

However, this data also highlights ongoing challenges. The rise in trust and democracy satisfaction is likely linked to the presidential election results, underscoring the need for continued efforts to engage voters and reinforce the system’s checks and balances that ensured a successful election.

Interested in more on this topic or others? We’ll be continuing to track these key indicators to provide consistent, real-time feedback on the health of American democracy. Sign up for our latest insights here.

Methodology: The data come from Citizen Data surveys conducted between October 2024 and November 2024, with an average sample size of N = 1,000 and an average margin of error of ±3.1%.

Footnotes: Satisfaction/Unsatisfaction categories were created by collapsing “Very satisfied” with “Satisfied”, and “Very unsatisfied” with “Unsatisfied”. Optimism was created by collapsing “Very optimistic” with “Somewhat optimistic,” and “Very pessimistic” with “Somewhat pessimistic.” Similarly, agree/disagree categories were created by collapsing “Strongly agree” with “Somewhat agree,” and “Strongly disagree” with “Somewhat disagree.” Finally, the question about state and presidential voting effectiveness was given as an A/B test. The level was randomly assigned to the sample; n = 494 for president level, n = 506 for state level.

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