American democracy has increasingly become a case of a few people seizing power and deciding the result of voting, according to a report released on Monday.

Titled "Ten Questions for American Democracy," the report was released by the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China.

Questioning the American democracy as it is today, the report said it was a "democracy for the minority" instead of a system that caters to the majority.

Analyzing the U.S. electoral politics, it concluded that the presidential elections had become increasingly dependent on the "key minority" known as "swing states" and "key constituencies."

In 2016 presidential election, Republican candidate Donald Trump took the White House with 304 electoral votes despite the fact that Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton won 2.8 million more popular votes.

"The key minority is more and more decisive than the majority," the report pointed out.

By studying the practical operation of American politics, the report also concluded that power is more inclined to serve a few wealthy people with capital than to serve the interests of most voters.

The finding is coincident with a report from Princeton University and Northwest University that showed that ordinary people and groups representing the interests of the masses have little independent political influence while economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have a strong ability to control policies.

"...America is less of a democracy and more of an oligarchy than we like to think," the report said, citing Paul Krugman, the Nobel laureate in economics.

Under money politics, American political power has become a tool for those with capital. As a result, people's will is hardly truly realized, the report noted, referring to the fact that U.S.-elect presidents often fail to meet their campaign promises and fulfill the people's will.

George W. Bush promised to cut government spending and stop sending troops abroad. He started the war in Afghanistan and Iraq successively and the government expenditure rose sharply. Barack Obama promised to launch reforms on the distribution of wealth including improving corporate tax law and formulating the Buffett Rule. Donald Trump broke 53 percent of his campaign promises.

"From Bush and Obama to Trump, the presidents are constantly changing, but people's will is becoming more difficult to realize. The people's will may only be mentioned in the election and gradually forgotten by politicians after the election," the report said.

(Cover: Pro-Trump rioters storm the U.S. Capitol as lawmakers are set to sign off on President-elect Joe Biden's electoral victory, Washington, D.C., United States, January 6, 2021. /CFP)