Poll: Only 22% believe government has the consent of the governed

One of the central tenets of the Declaration of Independence is that governments derive “their just powers from the consent of the governed.” Only 22% of the nation’s likely voters believe the government today has such consent.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds a wide partisan gap on the question. Democrats are evenly divided as to whether or not the government has the consent needed for legitimacy. Only eight percent (8%) Republicans and 21% of unaffiliated voters believe it does.