A University of Notre Dame study surveying 45,000+ Americans found that roughly half the population expresses democratic neutrality—refusing to take a stance on undemocratic practices—making them potentially more dangerous to democracy than outright opponents of democracy. The study, published in Nature Human Behaviour, found that about two-thirds of respondents failed to actively oppose undemocratic practices, and that neutral voters are just as likely to support authoritarian politicians as those who explicitly endorse undemocratic policies. The research suggests the real threat isn't partisan opposition to democracy but public apathy and unwillingness to hold leaders accountable, a pattern the researchers found equally common among Republicans, Democrats, and independents.