Religion considers it a virtue. Philosophers encourage it. Therapists nurture it. And politics watchers say its role is integral in what happens next to American democracy.
Hope, though hard to measure, is increasingly seen as critical to navigating the country’s political turbulence.
Recent Gallup polls show a complex picture. Globally, optimism is on the rise, but in the United States, hope is waning. Explanations range from economic inequality to loneliness associated with social media use to a decline in civic values. Yet in a survey of 52 countries, people ranked hope as the most important quality they want from their leaders—ahead of trust, compassion, and stability.
UC San Diego Emeritus Professor of Sociology Richard Madsen said the concept is deeply rooted.
“Hope is a theological virtue,” Madsen said. “We hope, even if things are looking really bad. The faith and hope that we can make them better comes not just out of our self-interest or self-delusion, but from traditions that have come down through the centuries.”
UC San Diego Neuroscience Professor William Mobley said hope functions alongside faith and love.
“Great to have faith. Great to have love. But hope is right in the middle,” Mobley said. “We need hope to help others, to feel with them, to reach out and care for them.”
For Boston University Research Professor David Livermore, the path to hope came through stepping back from the relentless churn of news. He briefly blacked out his media consumption after feeling overwhelmed by its intensity.
What he found instead were reminders that people are wired for goodness, that the nation has survived polarization before—even a civil war—and that younger generations may bring a broader vision of leadership.
“Gen Z and millennials already have a broader view of society and diversity in the world,” Livermore said. “And they’re moving into positions of power.”
Political scientist Zoltan Hajnal of UC San Diego said he remains “reasonably optimistic” about democracy’s survival, even as he acknowledges that U.S. institutions are fraying. He believes the business community, the public, and the 2026 congressional elections will play decisive roles in preventing democratic backsliding.
“The more folks speak up and say, ‘No, I’m not going to do this,’ the more it’ll become apparent that Americans as a whole want to maintain their democracy,” Hajnel said. “That community of Americans will have the ability to control outcomes more than they have to this point.”
Still, Hajnel warned that hope without action won’t be enough.
And if the U.S. goes toward military rule, he said the survival of democracy could ultimately depend on rank-and-file troops.
