A Democracy Without Anchors
What happens to democracy when its anchoring institutions–unions, parties, local media, and civic organizations–no longer play a robust role in many people’s lives? And how has the growth of social isolation and institutional mistrust made the public increasingly cynical about the future of the common good? This report mines a decades-long history of a dynamic we describe as dealignment, and what pro-democracy groups must understand about navigating this new terrain.
Democratic erosion isn't happening in the abstract.
It's happening in union halls, group chats, wellness expos, and rallies — in the everyday texture of belonging, work, and family life. CARD studies democracy there: in the lived experience of people deciding, day by day, whether to organize, to disengage, or to look for political meaning somewhere new.
A Democracy Without Anchors
What happens to democracy when its anchoring institutions–unions, parties, local media, and civic organizations–no longer play a robust role in many people’s lives? And how has the growth of social isolation and institutional mistrust made the public increasingly cynical about the future of the common good? This report mines a decades-long history of a dynamic we describe as dealignment, and what pro-democracy groups must understand about navigating this new terrain.
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Report
A Democracy Without Anchors
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OWM
Unpacking MAHA