Poll: Majority thinks politics under Trump have reached a ‘dangerous low point’

Seven in 10 Americans think that political tensions have reached a dangerously low point in the U.S., and many see the situation as a “new normal” for the country rather than a fleeting trend, according to a new poll released Saturday.

The Washington Post-University of Maryland survey paints a bleak picture of how Americans view the current political situation. A majority of respondents — 70 percent — say that political divisions are at least as big as they were during the Vietnam War, a period remembered for intense social and political upheaval.

That number was even bigger among individuals 65 and older — people who were adults during the tumultuous years of the Vietnam War.

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At the same time, Americans’ views of politicians’ ethics and honesty have reached at least a 30-year low, according to the poll. Just 14 percent view politicians’ ethics as excellent or good. That number was 25 percent in 1997 and 39 percent in 1987.

Pride in how the United States’s democracy works is also eroding quickly. In the past three years, the poll found, the number of Americans who are not proud of how the country’s democracy is functioning has doubled from 18 percent in 2014 to 36 percent today.

Even a sizable number — 25 percent — of President Trump’s supporters say they are not proud of how U.S. democracy is working under his administration.

Moreover, Americans see dysfunction in both the executive and legislative branches, according to the poll. Seven in 10 respondents say the Trump administration is dysfunctional, while 8 in 10 see Congress as dysfunctional, as well.

The poll’s findings come a little over nine months into Trump’s tenure in the White House. That period has so far been characterized by intense partisan fighting and political controversies.

The Washington Post-University of Maryland poll was conducted from Sept. 27 to Oct. 5 and surveyed 1,663 adults online and by phone. The margin of error is 3.5 percentage points.