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Survey of the Mountain West

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Accessibility Statement

Provided on this page are the methodology and all key findings from the Frank Church Institute’s Perceptions of Democracy Survey from the fall of 2021. Data from the report is provided in the downloadable PDF version. If you have any difficulty accessing the full report, please contact schoolofpublicservice@boisestate.edu.

Methodology

This poll was conducted between September 24 -October 26 2021 among a sample of 1899 Adults in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. The interviews were conducted online and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of Adults in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming based on gender by age, educational attainment, race and ethnicity and 2020 presidential vote choice (including not voting). Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points

Key Findings

Perceptions of democracy, fairness, and confidence related to the federal government are weak among adults in the five states surveyed.

  • Less than one in ten adults have a very favorable view of the federal government and Congress in each of the states surveyed. And, less than one in ten adults have a lot of confidence in the federal government and Congress to act in the best interest of the public in each of the states surveyed.
  • Three quarters of adults in the five states surveyed say they often or sometimes feel alienated from their federal government (74%). And, half of adults in the five states surveyed believe that everyday people (51%) and people in rural areas (48%) are treated unfairly by the federal government.
  • Most adults in the five states surveyed (55%) agree with the statement “The federal government works to benefit other groups of people, but not people like me.”

However, this is not true f or all levels of government. Adults in the five states surveyed express a higher confidence in democracy and fairness at the state and local level.

  • Majorities of adults in the five states surveyed have a favorable view o f their local government (57%) and their state government (53%). And, majorities of adults in the fives states surveyed have confidence in their local government (61%) and their state government (57%) to act in the best interest of the general public.
  • Adults in the five states surveyed are more likely to be concerned about democracy in the United States (85%) than in their own state (57%). And, out of the entities or officials tested, adults in each of the five states surveyed are less likely to say they feel alienated by their local government.
  • Pluralities of adults in the five states surveyed believe everyday people (41%) and people in rural areas (44%) are treated fairly by their local government. And, across each of the states surveyed, adults are least likely to agree “local government works to benefit other groups of people, but not people like me” compared to the same statement for the federal and state government.

Respondents say finding common ground across political ideologies is difficult.

  • 80% of adults in the five states surveyed say they believe Americans of different political viewpoints have a difficult time talking to one another about politics.

Adults in the five states surveyed are worried about the health of democracy but say there are ways to strengthen it.

  • Majorities of adults in the five states surveyed are concerned about democracy in the United States (85%) and in their own state (57%).
  • However, of the options tested, adults in the five states surveyed say instituting term limits (29%) and holding politicians accountable for illegal or unethical behavior (28%) would be most likely to strengthen democracy.

Adults in the five states surveyed worry about misinformation and many distrust the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election.

  • Strong majorities of adults in the five states surveyed say they are worried about misrepresentation of facts (83%) and misinformation (83%). And, only 51% of adults in the five states surveyed believe that former Vice President Joe Biden legitimately defeated incumbent President Donald Trump in the November 2020 Presidential election.

Thinking about the events of January 6th, 2021 on the U.S. Capitol, majorities adults in the five states surveyed say political violence is not justified; however, a smaller share do. And, many believe it is likely we will see political violence in the future.

  • While 58% of adults in the five states surveyed say political violence is not justified in a democracy, 20% say political violence is justified when things have gotten so bad that the government is not acting in the best interest of the people.
  • Majorities of adults in the five states surveyed say it is likely the U.S. sees violence in the future similar to the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2021.

KEY FINDINGS: GENERAL SENTIMENT

  1. Adults in the five states surveyed believe things in the country are headed in the wrong track (71%); however, they are split on whether things are going in the right direction (53%) or the wrong track (47%) when it comes to their own state.
  2. While majorities of adults in the five states surveyed have a favorable view of the United States (62%), their local government (57%), and their state government (53%), less than one in ten say they have a favorable opinion of the federal government (7%) and Congress (6%).
  3. Adults in the five states surveyed are less likely to have confidence in the Presidency (35%), the federal government (36%), and Congress (31%) to act in the best interest of the public than they do their state (57%) and local government (61%).

KEY FINDINGS: STATE OF DEMOCRACY

  1. Half of adults in the five states surveyed say ‘concerned’ best describes their views on health of democracy in the United States (50%).
  2. When asked directly, nearly all adults (85%) in the five states surveyed say they are concerned about the health of democracy in the United States and majorities say they are concerned about the health of democracy in their state (57%).
  3. Majorities of adults say the spread of misinformation (64%), money in politics (56%), and politically motivated violence (54%) are very concerning for democracy in the United States. And, of the options tested, adults in the five states surveyed say instituting term limits (29%) and holding politicians accountable for illegal or unethical behavior (28%) would be most likely to strengthen democracy.

KEY FINDINGS: PERCEPTIONS ON COMMON GROUND

  1. Strong majorities of adults in the five states surveyed say they believe Americans of different political viewpoints have a difficult time talking to one another about politics (80%). And, approximately two thirds of adults in the five states surveyed say Americans rarely or never shift their own (62%) or someone else’s political opinions (65%).
  2. Adults in the five states surveyed say they feel alienated from their federal government (74%). And, majorities of adults in the five states surveyed believe Americans living in rural areas do not have enough influence in national politics (59%).
  3. Adults in the five states surveyed are also more likely to say rural adults are treated unfairly by the federal government (48%) than they are to say the same about their state (38%) and local government (34%).

KEY FINDINGS: MEDIA AND MISINFORMATION

  1. Adults in the five states surveyed are most likely to get their news from national news (39%) and local television news (38%), of the options tested. Of the media channels tested, adults in these states are most likely to watch Fox News at least once a week (31%).
  2. Strong majorities of adults in the five states surveyed, including both Democrats and Republicans, say they are worried about misrepresentation of facts (83%) and misinformation (83%). Republicans (60%) in the five states surveyed are more likely than Democrats (26%) in those states to say there is a lot of misinformation spread on news media.
  3. A bipartisan majority in the five states surveyed agree with the statement “ ‘Fake news’ is used to purposefully mislead people.”

KEY FINDINGS: 2020 ELECTION

  1. Majorities of Republicans in the five states surveyed say the last several presidential elections have been generally less secure than presidential elections held before then (63%).
  2. And, only 51% of adults in the five states surveyed believe that former Vice President Joe Biden legitimately defeated incumbent President Donald Trump in the November 2020 Presidential election.
  3. Distrust in the election stems mainly from perceptions of illegal voting, among the options tested. Half of adults in the five states surveyed say that people voting illegally happened a lot or some in the November 2020 U.S. presidential elections (50%).

KEY FINDINGS: VIEWS ON JANUARY 6TH VIOLENCE

  1. While 58% of adults in the five states surveyed say political violence is not justified in a democracy, 20% say political violence is justified when things have gotten so bad that the government is not acting in the best interest of the people.
  2. However, approximately three quarters of adults in the five states surveyed say the actions of those involved in the violence at the U.S. Capitol were not justified (71%).
  3. Democrats (79%) in the five states surveyed are much more likely than Republicans (13%) in those states to say Former President Donald Trump was most responsible for violence at the U.S. Capitol.
  4. And, majorities of adults in the five states surveyed say it is likely the U.S. sees violence in the future similar to the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2021.

Download a Summary of the Frank Church Institute Survey of the Mountain West
Download the Frank Church Institute Survey of the Mountain West