NEW YORK, Sept. 19 -- The United States is dealing with more state fragility than many realize -- people do not trust their government, and surrounding institutions, including the media, are doing little to earn back that trust, reported The Hill on Sunday.

"The general population in the United States currently perceives there to be in a democratic downturn; people do not believe that the government is resting on a strong foundation, in part due to the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection, our collective unresolved trauma about our past, including slavery, and the view of most Americans that government is corrupt," said the report.

"They have lost trust in the system and in our institutions. While people might agree on the problems, they disagree on the causes and thus the solutions, which in turn further entrenches polarization," said the Opinion article titled "The United States of fragility."

From the reversal of abortion rights enshrined in Roe v. Wade, to immigration, to guns and gun control -- most Americans have a "tribe" with which they are aligned with very few people in the middle, it said.

"Politicized responses to the COVID-19 pandemic added fuel to the fire," random gun violence has increased, and "peaceful adjudication of conflict is no longer a given," it added.

  - Xinhua