Faith in Elections in Relatively Short Supply in U.S.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Although their faith has been shaken for some time, Americans are heading into their next presidential election with relatively little confidence in the honesty of the process. Four in 10 Americans (40%) interviewed in 2019 said they are confident in the honesty of elections in the country, while the majority (59%) said they are not.

Americans' current level of confidence in their elections is far from the lowest it has been at times in the past decade, but it is notably one of the worst ratings across the world's wealthiest democracies. Ratings were statistically lower last year only in Chile (31%) and Mexico (30%).

	Yes	No
	%	%
Finland	89	9
Norway	89	9
Sweden	87	11
Luxembourg	82	14
New Zealand	81	17
Switzerland	81	12
Netherlands	77	22
Ireland	76	20
Germany	74	21
Austria	72	26
Poland	71	17
Canada	66	33
Slovenia	66	33
Australia	62	35
United Kingdom	61	33
Greece	59	33
France	57	41
Japan	57	35
Spain	56	38
Slovakia	54	35
Italy	53	44
Portugal	53	44
Estonia	52	31
South Korea	49	48
Belgium	46	48
Hungary	45	42
United States of America	40	59
Lithuania	40	44
Turkey	39	52
Latvia	37	46
Chile	31	65
Mexico	30	68
Gallup World Poll 2019

The latest data for the U.S. come from the Gallup World Poll of Americans conducted in April and May 2019. At that time, eight U.S. intelligence agencies had confirmed allegations of foreign interference in the 2016 presidential election and identified attempts to engage in similar activities during the 2018 midterms. Additionally, cybersecurity experts had raised some substantial questions concerning the potential digital security vulnerabilities of computerized voting systems.

However, Americans' doubts about their elections are not new. Majorities of Americans have consistently lacked confidence in the honesty of elections every year since 2012. Americans' lack of confidence peaked at 69% in 2016, in the midst of the presidential campaign that year.

Gallup World Poll surveying in 2016 was conducted in the midst of allegations that the process to select the Democratic Party presidential nomination had been interfered with to the detriment of then-candidate Bernie Sanders. The survey also took place after then-candidate Donald Trump alleged that the Iowa Caucus had been "stolen" from him, but prior to his claims the overall presidential election was dishonest.

Who Is Least Confident?

Gallup's World Poll does not ask about political affiliation, but Americans' lack of confidence is most pronounced among those who disapprove of the country's leadership, with 74% of this group reporting no confidence in the honesty of elections. Trust is also low among Americans aged 30 to 49, with 68% lacking confidence. Rounding out the three groups with the lowest levels of confidence in the honesty of elections are U.S. women, among whom 65% say they lack confidence.

	Yes	No
	%	%
All Americans	40	59
Gender
Male	46	54
Female	35	65
Age
15-29	42	58
30-49	31	68
50+	45	54
U.S. Leadership Approval
Approve	63	36
Disapprove	26	74
Urban or Rural
Urban	39	61
Rural	43	57
Gallup World Poll, Apr 23-May 23 2019

While rural Americans are often described by political analysts as forgotten or disaffected, there is little difference in confidence in the honesty of elections between this group and those that live in urban areas.

Bottom Line

Whether related to issues of foreign interference, security vulnerability, interference in the nomination process by the political elites, or just general frustration with an election outcome, the majority of Americans do not have confidence in their elections. The recent Iowa Caucuses are an example of the types of events that can shake Americans' faith in the election process and the legitimacy of the winners of elections. Institutions and fair processes are important in holding society together, and particularly so in this era of intense partisanship in the U.S.

For complete methodology and specific survey dates, please review Gallup's Country Data Set details.

Learn more about how the Gallup World Poll works.