Meanwhile, 44 percent backed the American tradition of competing branches of government as a model, if sometimes “frustrating,” system.

Why would people want to live under an authoritarian’s thumb? It’s rooted, experts say, in a psychological need for security—real or perceived—and a desire for conformity, a goal that becomes even more acute as the country undergoes dramatic demographic and social changes. People also like to obey a strong leader who will protect the group—especially if it is the “right” group whose interests will be protected. Recall the Trump supporter who, during the 2019 government shutdown, complained, “He’s not hurting the people he needs to be hurting.”

  • @thesohoriots
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    82 months ago

    32% of polled Americans who will admit it out loud, mind you. That number is absolutely higher. Pew Research found 43% of American adults trust Fox News and they trounce other cable news channels by a long shot. We ain’t never gonna make it.