A new poll from the Pell Center at Salve Regina University reveals a sharp partisan divide among Rhode Island voters when it comes to the health of U.S. democracy, the economy, and immigration policy.
The survey, fielded by Embold Research from June 16–22, 2025, captured responses from 804 registered voters who participated in the 2024 presidential election. The results underscore how Democrats and Republicans are experiencing what researchers describe as “parallel realities.”
More than half of Democrats believe the U.S. is still operating as a democracy, but 80% say it’s not healthy, and 94% believe the country is in a constitutional crisis. Nearly two-thirds (64%) even believe the U.S. has fallen into dictatorship. Only 32% believe the checks and balances system remains strong.
Republicans, however, are increasingly optimistic. The number who say democracy is healthy jumped sevenfold since the Pell Center’s June 2024 survey. Most Republicans (83%) say they personally benefited from Trump-era policies, and 93% now support increased border security spending.
Party lines also define views on the economy. Three-quarters of Republicans say it’s thriving, while 73% of Democrats believe the country is in a recession. Immigration ranked as the top issue for 58% of Republicans, while Democrats cited Trump and Republicans (66%) and the state of democracy (36%).
Independents, who make up a large share of Rhode Island’s electorate, were more mixed in their views. A majority (59%) say democracy is not healthy, and their top concerns include inflation (34%) and immigration (34%).
Despite their differences, voters from all parties overwhelmingly support increased federal funding for Social Security and Medicare.
“The degree to which the parties disagree—even on whether the economy is thriving or in a recession—is alarming,” said Katie Sonder, who directed the survey.
The poll has a margin of error of 3.6%.
See the full results here.
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