Understanding Evolving Republican Attitudes Towards Democracy

The views expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the SNF Agora Institute or Johns Hopkins University.

Authors: Sarah Bryner, Sophia Winner, Lilliana Mason, Rebecca Silliman, Scott Warren

Public Agenda and the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University are working together to understand Americans’ beliefs about democratic practices and principles. Previous work led by the SNF Agora Institute identified a distinct group of Republicans whose attitudes diverged from their fellow partisans on many issues related to political institutions and democratic norms. These Republicans were characterized by their shared belief that Joe Biden won the 2020 election. The research found that dividing Republicans into two groups—those who believed that Donald Trump was the rightful winner of the 2020 election, and those who did not or were unsure—provided a useful framework for understanding key divides among Republicans.

In recent years, responses to questions about the 2020 election are less predictive of a divide among Republicans. Now, in the second Trump administration, we explore whether other attitudes about democratic institutions can usefully sort Republicans and guide efforts to reduce polarization and restore trust in government and other institutions.

WE SEEK TO UNDERSTAND:

• Are there new dividing lines in the Republican party? What are they? Are there differing views among Republicans about how the federal government should function? If so, do those attitudes differ depending on media exposure and broader attitudes about the rule of law?
• How are Republicans—and other Americans—wrestling with questions about constitutional authority, checks and balances, democratic norms, institutional trust, and President Trump himself?
• How do various categories of Republicans feel about their political opponents, and do these attitudes contribute to increasing political polarization in the United States?
• Do Republicans identify more closely with President Trump or with the Republican party?

From May through October 2025 we undertook a three-part qualitative and quantitative study to examine these questions. First, we explored variation in attitudes about democratic institutions among Republicans and whether these beliefs are related to other differences in behavior and opinion. We fielded five questions on topics related to presidential authority, the war in Ukraine, the grant of power to Elon Musk (a salient issue when the survey was administered), and attitudes about the opposite party in a national omnibus survey. Amongst other results, we found that approximately 34 percent of Republicans believe that the president should not overturn or ignore court decisions, even if he believes that doing so is in the nation’s best interest. This single finding, which correlated with other beliefs about democratic norms, proved powerful in capturing broader growing divides among Republicans.

Next, we conducted three focus groups in July 2025 to further explore similarities and differences in beliefs among Republicans who agree, disagree, or are unsure whether the president can overturn or ignore court decisions. The focus groups explored participants’ feelings about the president, the constitution, the media, and other aspects of life in the United States.

Finally, we developed a nationally representative survey, using insights from the focus groups. This 13-minute survey was administered in mid-August 2025 and included an oversample of Republicans or Independents who lean toward the Republican party.