Without popular support, American democracy has long been a river without a source and a tree without its roots, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a press briefing on Friday.

Zhao made the remarks in response to a survey conducted by Harvard University which found a striking lack of confidence in U.S. democracy among young Americans.

According to the survey, only 7 percent view the U.S. as a "healthy democracy," 52 percent believe that democracy is either "in trouble" or "failing", 35 percent anticipate a second civil war during their lifetimes, and 25 percent believe that at least one state will secede.

Noting the report, Zhao said American democracy is a trick to fool its citizens at home and a tool to implement its hegemony abroad.

He also cited a poll commissioned by the Alliance of Democracies Foundation in May which showed that 44 percent of respondents in 53 countries were concerned that the U.S. threatens democracy in their country.

Echoing U.S. film director Oliver Stone, who said the U.S. is a "totally corrupt" government that spends $14 billion to elect a president, Zhao said U.S. democracy is actually a money democracy.

The U.S. Congress riot in early January exposed the nature of American democracy and the U.S. hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan once again proved that imposing democracy on other countries is a dead end, the spokesperson added.