President Donald Trump proposed a slew of bold initiatives in his Inauguration speech Monday inside the Capitol Rotunda, from reclaiming the Panama Canal to renaming the Gulf of Mexico.

The 47th president’s comments reinforced his belief in the unique role America plays in the world, and his trust in the strength and spirit of its people.

However, he might want to consider what years of political dysfunction in Washington has done to the American psyche.

A recent UMass Lowell poll shows that deep-seated party divisions have alienated many in this country, to the point of total indifference in the political process.

A recent survey conducted by UML’s Center for Public Opinion and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences found that voters, disengaged from American politics, would be receptive to reforms in our democratic system.

Last fall, prior to the presidential election, pollsters surveyed 3,200 likely voters. The results indicated a considerable degree of distrust in government and a willingness to consider meaningful changes in order to make it more relevant to ordinary citizens.

That’s an opinion that defied party lines.

Seventy-eight percent of those polled — including 68% of Democrats, 87% of Republicans, and 90% of independents — said they could only trust the federal government to do what’s right some or none of the time. Only 23% of respondents said they could trust the government almost always, or most of the time.

Poll results show voters have “deep dissatisfaction” over how the government is run, according to UMass Lowell’s John Cluverius, the center’s director of survey research, associate director and an associate professor of political science.

Seventy percent of respondents believe that as many as half — or more — of government officials are corrupt, while 80% agreed strongly or somewhat that government officials don’t care what people like them think.

Further, 69% agreed strongly or somewhat that they had no say in what the government does.

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences participated in the poll as part of its nonpartisan commitment to strengthening democracy.

“We convened listening sessions across the country to hear what people had to say about American democracy. The frustrations and hopes that they voiced shaped the Academy’s ‘Our Common Purpose’ report, which we released in 2020. The report’s 31 recommendations include changes to make our system more representative,” said Academy President Laurie L. Patton. “The results of this poll point to ways we can continue to engage Americans in the meaningful work of coming together to strengthen constitutional democracy.”

Survey responses indicate voter dissatisfaction may be fueling support for reform:

• 53% of respondents said the way members of Congress are elected should change, while 47% said the system should remain the same.

• 63% of those surveyed believe the United States would be better off with more than two major political parties, signaling support for a broader multiparty democracy, while 37% of respondents preferred a two-party system.

And a set of poll questions that laid out a hypothetical reform of Congress showed respondents favor a system in which legislators represent fewer constituents, theoretically improving lawmakers’ ability to advocate for voters.

We don’t imagine that the survey’s results surprised anyone with even a passing interest in America’s political system.

We know it’s a tall order, but we’d ask people to stay engaged in our system of government, despite its flaws.

To paraphrase the words popularized by Winston Churchill, democracy is the worst form of governance, except for all the others.

— The Sentinel & Enterprise (Fitchburg, Mass.)