More than half of young Americans believe that American democracy is "troubled" or "failed" (in-depth observation)

　　The results of a poll recently released by the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government Institute of Political Science showed that most young Americans interviewed lack confidence in American democracy, and 52% of the respondents believe that American democracy is “in trouble” or “failed.” , And only 7% of respondents believe that the American democratic system is still “healthy”.

John Volpe, director of polling affairs at the Institute of Political Studies at the Kennedy School of Government, said: "Young Americans are ringing alarm bells."

　　Since the outbreak of the epidemic, young Americans have become one of the groups most affected by the economic impact.

According to data released by the United States Census Bureau in September, the official poverty rate in the United States in 2020 is 11.4%, and the number of poor people will reach 37.2 million.

Among them, the poverty rate of people under the age of 18 increased from 14.4% in 2019 to 16.1% in 2020.

　　There are more and more people seeking food relief all over the United States, and many of them are young people.

In West Virginia, 20% of the population lives on food relief.

Tiffany Brasil, a volunteer at a food supply station in West Virginia, said that 10 years ago, about 10 relief foods were distributed every week, but now more than 1,000 people are being helped every week.

　　"More than 50 million Americans are suffering from insufficient food. What they need is not a meal. What they need is change." Complain about hunger on the steps.

According to reports, this is a public service advertisement invested and shot by an American non-profit organization a few years ago, which has recently attracted strong attention again.

Laura Washburn, a spokesperson for the organization, said: "The video is meant to draw attention to the problem of hunger in the United States. Unfortunately, our country is still solving this problem today."

　　ABC reported that according to data from the US Department of Agriculture, the United States has "almost no progress" in addressing food security issues in the past two years.

In 2020, about 13.8 million households will be food insecure, accounting for more than 10% of all households in the United States.

　　In addition to economic difficulties, many chronic diseases in American society, such as gun violence, racism, social injustice, and disparity between the rich and the poor, are affecting the development of young Americans and their expectations for the future.

The US "Gen" website reported that in the United States, the admission rate of good universities is getting lower and lower, food costs are rising, student loan debts are rising, basic medical care is lacking, bureaucracy is rigid, shootings happen from time to time, and personal privacy leaks on the Internet. And other issues make young people feel "difficult to move an inch."

　　Ophelia Jacobson, a student at the University of Florida in the United States, conducted random interviews on the streets of Washington, D.C. Some interviewees clearly told Jacobson that considering the United States’ “colonial history, ethnic issues, and current political situation”, they "Embarrassed to be an American."

　　US "Newsweek" quoted Gallup's poll data as saying that the overall pride of Americans dropped to a new low in 2020.

According to the report, only 36% of the 18-24 year-old respondents were “proud to be an American”.

35% of the interviewees said that they are "somewhat or not proud of being American."

　　The "Washington Post" article pointed out that this Harvard University poll shows that young Americans are disappointed in democracy.

The survey also showed that the mental health of young Americans is worrying.

Fifty-one percent of young American respondents reported that they have had at least a few feelings of "emotional depression, depression, and despair" in the past two weeks.

Chatan Satya, director of the Gun Violence Prevention Center at Northwell Health Center in New York, said that poverty, social inequality and gun violence are closely related to each other. “You can’t solve one without solving the other.”

　　(This newspaper, Washington, December 6th)