81% Say Democracy Is Under Threat: A Close Read of the 2024 Civil Rights Monitor Poll

“Democracy is under threat” is one of the few statements that majorities of both parties accept, and the more interesting question is what each side means by it. A September 2024 poll from the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights gives both numbers.

• The Leadership Conference’s Civil Rights Monitor poll (September 3-8, 2024; 1,000 likely voters; margin of error plus or minus 3.1 points) found 81 percent believe democracy is under threat ^[1].
• Seventy-three percent were worried about political violence after the elections; concern was highest among liberals (92 percent), then moderates (68 percent) and conservatives (63 percent) ^[1].
• Ninety-three percent reported extremely high motivation to vote, up from 86 percent in 2023 ^[1].
• The groups disagree on what the threats are: liberals named the Supreme Court and Project 2025; conservatives named immigration and “woke culture” ^[1].

The method

The Civil Rights Monitor poll interviewed 1,000 likely voters by phone from September 3 to 8, 2024, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at 95 percent confidence ^[1]. It was commissioned by an advocacy coalition, a fact worth keeping in mind, though the sampling approach is standard.

The headline

Eighty-one percent said democracy faces threats and 73 percent worried about political violence after November’s elections. Ninety-three percent reported extremely high motivation to vote, compared with 86 percent in 2023 ^[1].

Same worry, different villains

The partisan detail is where the poll earns its keep. Concern about political violence was 92 percent among liberals, 68 percent among moderates and 63 percent among conservatives. When asked to identify threats to freedoms, liberals pointed to the Supreme Court (49 percent) and Project 2025 (43 percent), while conservatives pointed to immigration (57 percent) and “woke culture” (41 percent) ^[1].

The other numbers

The poll found 79 percent say diversity strengthens America and 87 percent are concerned about loss of personal rights; only 20 percent believed race relations were improving, and 52 percent worried about white supremacy ^[1].

The issues behind the worry

The poll’s other results show what voters were weighing. Inflation and the economy ranked as the most important issue at 42 percent, up 8 points from the year before, and immigration and border security was named by 33 percent overall and 58 percent of conservatives ^[1]. The Supreme Court’s net approval was underwater, with 42 percent approving and 52 percent disapproving, with big differences by group: plus 2 net among voters in red states, minus 19 in blue states, minus 35 among Black voters and minus 20 among Hispanic voters ^[1].

On rights and experience: 64 percent supported abortion access as a legally protected right, essentially unchanged from 63 percent in 2023, and 48 percent of liberals named abortion as their top election issue ^[1]. Sixteen percent of all voters, and 36 percent of Black voters, said they experience racism daily; 44 percent said race relations were worsening and only 20 percent said they were improving ^[1]. Seventy percent could identify Project 2025 and 54 percent rated it unfavorably, with large majorities opposed to specific proposals such as cuts to overtime (91 percent) and Social Security (86 percent) ^[1].

What to take from it

A rare consensus on the fact of a threat covers a deep disagreement on its source. The poll is a record of 2024’s mood, not a forecast, and its sponsor’s interests suggest reading the question wording on the original release. The enduring lesson is structural: two coalitions can both say “democracy is in danger” and mean opposite things.

Questions readers ask

What did the Leadership Conference's 2024 poll find?

That 81 percent of likely voters believe democracy is under threat and 73 percent worry about political violence after the elections ^[1].

How was the poll conducted?

By phone with 1,000 likely voters from September 3 to 8, 2024, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 points ^[1].