How Americans Can Relearn the Habits That Sustain Democracy

At the end of 2025, some progressive commentators saw signs that America’s slide toward authoritarianism might be slowing. On Dec. 26, New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg wrote that “Trump Is Getting Weaker, and the Resistance Is Getting Stronger.”

Goldberg quoted Leah Greenberg, co‑founder of the civic group Indivisible, who argued that while Donald Trump “has been able to do extraordinary damage that will have generational effects, he has not successfully consolidated power. That has been staved off, and it has been staved off not, frankly, due to the efforts of pretty much anyone in elite institutions or political leadership but due to the efforts of regular people declining to go along with fascism.”

Whether or not that reading is fully accurate, the moment highlights a crucial truth: resisting authoritarian moves is necessary but insufficient. Rebuilding a healthy democracy requires long‑term cultural work as well as institutional repair. That work depends not only on policy changes and legal safeguards but on everyday civic habits practiced by ordinary people.

Why the Culture of Democracy Matters

If 2025 taught one lesson, it is how fragile the architecture of American democracy can be. As political scientist Eric Schickler observes, Donald Trump has proved “willing to destroy essentially any element of the old order—leaving aside the bond market, evidently—to achieve dominance.” Schickler warns that decades of changes—the nationalization of polarization, the spread of unitary‑executive arguments, and the rise of populist conservatism within the Republican Party—have weakened the countervailing powers that once checked raw political dominance.

At the same time, public opinion reveals deep unease. While most Americans still say they prefer democratic government in principle, satisfaction is low: about one‑third report being satisfied with how U.S. democracy is functioning. A November survey found that 84% of respondents believe democracy is in crisis or facing serious challenges, and only 11% say it is doing well. Dissatisfaction is higher among Republicans than Democrats or independents, and it is more pronounced among younger people.

Those findings suggest that restoring democracy will be at least as much a cultural project as a legislative or constitutional one. It will require people across the political spectrum to step back from demonization and certainty, and to rebuild habits of civic interaction that make pluralism possible.

Relearning Democratic Habits

Nearly two centuries ago Alexis de Tocqueville emphasized that customs, mores, and everyday behaviors often shape democratic success more than formal documents. Rebuilding those habits today means cultivating practices that make persuasion, compromise, and inclusion possible. Below are three practical habits citizens can relearn and practice.

1. Tell the Truth, Persuasively

Honesty is fundamental, but how we communicate matters. Democracy relies on persuasion, and people rarely change their views because they are denounced or reduced to caricatures. If the goal is to persuade, frame truth-telling so it can be heard by those who disagree. That requires trying to understand not just what opponents believe but why they believe it—and then speaking in ways that attend to those concerns.

“If we want to persuade, we must find ways to give our opponents a place to stand,” the author writes, echoing this approach.

2. Practice Generous Listening

Listening is a democratic act. The Stoic Epictetus reminded us that “we have two ears and one mouth,” suggesting we should listen twice as much as we speak. Philosopher and activist Astra Taylor argues for a “right to listen” or, more precisely, a right to be heard. Many people today feel ignored; restoring a sense of voice and recognition strengthens civic bonds.

Generous listening means attempting to catch someone else’s words in flight, enlarging their meaning rather than shrinking it into an opponent’s provocation. This kind of listening requires attention, curiosity, and patience.

3. Cultivate Humility

Humility acknowledges the limits of our knowledge and reduces the temptation to treat disagreements as moral absolutes. As John Keane notes, humility resists vanity and the arrogance of superiority; it helps people accept electoral outcomes and live with disagreement without demonizing the other side. A humble posture—“I could be wrong, but…”—opens space for compromise and shared problem‑solving.

What Citizens Can Do Today

Rebuilding democratic health is a long game. Citizens can start by changing how they speak and listen: aim to persuade rather than degrade, listen with curiosity rather than dismissiveness, and remember that no one holds a monopoly on truth. Institutions and policy reforms remain essential, but without the cultural and conversational habits that sustain pluralism, institutional fixes will be fragile.

If Americans relearn these habits—truthful persuasion, generous listening, and humility—they will increase the odds of preserving democratic norms and institutions. If they do not, deeper institutional repairs may not be enough to secure a resilient democratic future.