The State of Democracy in 2025 (According to Moderate Women)
Let’s take a look at the state of our nation’s democracy as we head deeper into the new year! Galvanize Action has already conducted two different research activities that help us gauge where moderate white women are on the economy, abortion, democracy, and changes under the new administration.
We’ll begin with our very first survey of 2025, in which Galvanize Action surveyed 600 moderate white women to establish some baseline opinions about topical issues. This was conducted the week before the second inauguration of President Donald Trump.
ABORTION
Moderate women overwhelmingly support legal abortions. Eighty six percent of women support the idea that decisions regarding abortion should rest with women, their loved ones, and medical professionals—not politicians. Similarly, 72% support legal abortions. But of that 72%, more women think abortion should be mostly legal (45%) than always legal (27%).
Interestingly, women in this survey who voted for Harris believe it is likely that abortion will be banned in many states and at the national level. Women who said they voted for Trump think this is much less likely.
ECONOMY
When it comes to social safety nets, most moderate white women were either neutral or slightly in favor of raising taxes to fund programs like subsidized housing, food stamps, or federally-funded childcare.
When asked if they trust the government to implement “solutions to help people like me make ends meet,” responses were more negative and a plurality disagreed.
Here’s a fascinating trend: we also asked women if they think it’s likely that the price of everyday necessities like gas and groceries will decrease in the next four years. Among Harris voters, only about 10% think grocery or gas prices will decrease. One might expect many or most Trump voters to believe prices will decrease, but less than half of the Trump voters in this survey hold that opinion. That’s particularly interesting given how important the economy was to this audience in 2024!
GENDER IDENTITY
Moderate white women showed mixed attitudes toward gender identity issues. While nearly half of respondents said they are confident they can navigate the “changing rules” of gender in our society, 44% think talking about sexual orientation or gender in public schools should be banned and 45% think that advocates for trangender rights have gone too far in recent years, highlighting a significant problem.
Many women also aren’t sure what they think about our national gender identity conversations yet, highlighting an area of opportunity for Galvanize Action. Moving moderate women to more warmly welcome transgender people (and immigrants!) will be a key part of Galvanize Action’s work to combat “othering” in 2025.
IMMIGRATION
Opinions on immigration were similarly varied. Women in this survey disagreed with the statement “Immigrants take desirable jobs away from American citizens like me.” and agreed with the statement “Immigrants make America better for everyone.” However, more agreed than disagreed with the statement “Immigrants increase crime rates in the United States.”
⚡Did you know that American immigrants today are 60% less likely to be incarcerated than US-born Americans? Fact battling isn’t a good way to persuade our audience, but it’s important to acknowledge that this isn’t a matter of opinion at all!
OTHERING
Just like answers to questions about immigrants and transgender people—two groups often othered by moderate white women—responses to general questions about othering were mixed. More than half of respondents agreed that they have a personal responsibility to intervene when someone experiences discrimination, and many more women agree than disagree that we must warmly welcome transgender people to be on the right side of history. Those are both very encouraging results! However, more women agreed than disagreed with the statement “the government has gone too far in helping minorities to the disadvantage of people like me.”
We also asked women if they think it’s likely that the federal government will dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The majority (60%) of Harris voters said they believed that would happen, but only 31% of Trump voters believed the same. Trump did in fact release an executive order to that effect on his first day in office, as promised.
QUALITATIVE DEMOCRACY RESEARCH
In a separate qualitative research project, also in January 2025, Galvanize Action partnered with Ipsos to conduct two full days of online diaries followed by six focus group discussions. This research explored attitudes about the fairness of the 2024 election and the fate of democracy in 2025.
Most participants in that research believe the 2024 election was conducted fairly, but with some unfair circumstances related to Harris’s late candidacy. More than 80% rate their trust level in the voting or election process at an 8 or higher on a 10-point scale, which is great!
“From everything I’ve seen, the systems in place worked effectively to ensure that every vote was counted accurately and fairly.” – 33yrs, OH, Moderate, Single
Moderate women are worried about rising authoritarianism in our nation.
Many participants expressed concerns about the health of our democracy, which centered on the power of the presidency, lack of checks and balances, and efforts to silence dissent. A few participants, however, expressed confidence in the existing system of checks and balances to protect democratic processes.
“I am a bit fearful for the future of democracy. I believe that our opinions in this country have become extremely polarized which can lead to silencing and censoring of opinions as well as facts.” – 34yrs, PA, Moderate, Married
We couldn’t agree more—Galvanize Action’s research helps us understand each other better so we can move forward together!
Curious about what preserving democracy means to moderate women? It goes beyond just elections: it’s about protecting our Constitution, individual rights and freedoms, and ensuring the government is accountable to its citizens.
“Preserving democracy means having checks and balances and defending the rule of law. It means having accountability from our leaders and an independent Dept of Justice. It means preventing an authoritarian form of government and preventing misinformation.” – 68yrs, MI, Somewhat Conservative, Married
“Preserving democracy means preserving the rights of all people. It is essential that individuals in our country have the right to speak freely, think critically, and make their own choices.” – 30yrs, PA, Somewhat Liberal, Single
Opinions about the new administration vary, but there’s a shared commitment to staying civically engaged. Women told us they plan to advocate for issues that are important to them, focus on local issues, and hold their public officials accountable. That type of civic engagement is just what we want to see! High levels of civic engagement, such as peaceful protests, public discourse, and voting are vital for the health of our democracy.
If you’re worried about our democracy, you’re clearly not alone! At Galvanize Action, we’ll be doubling down on defending our democracy by further studying how our audience is processing election results, exploring the traits and issues that inform civic engagement (including vote choice), and identifying the programming needs that will bring about long-term transformational change in America. We’ll also be focusing on the opportunities identified in this research with a particular focus on addressing unconscious biases such as internalized sexism.
Our research helps us connect with open-minded women who share our vision for the future of America. This work is needed now more than ever as we engage millions of moderate women to safeguard our freedoms and protect our democracy. Together, we can create an America that truly works for everyone!
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