What Can Improve Democracy?
Amid growing discontent with the state of democracy globally, we asked over 30,000 people what changes would make their democracy work better.
As Felipe Calderón’s term as Mexico’s president draws to a close, Mexicans continue to strongly back his policy of deploying the military to combat the country’s powerful drug cartels, despite public unease about the moral cost of the drug war. Meanwhile, a majority of Mexicans say they have a positive opinion of the U.S.
Fewer than half of Mexicans say their government is making progress in its campaign against drug cartels. Still, an overwhelming majority continues to endorse the use of the Mexican army to fight drug traffickers, virtually unchanged in recent years.
Once he takes office, President-elect Barack Obama will have to navigate a world that has grown highly critical of the United States. Since 2001, the Pew Global Attitudes Project has documented a decline in America’s international image amid widespread opposition to U.S. foreign policy.
The 2008 Pew Global Attitudes survey in China finds that more than eight-in-ten Chinese are satisfied with their country’s overall direction and their national economy, a significant increase in contentment from earlier in the decade. But levels of personal satisfaction are generally lower than the national measures, and the poll suggests the Chinese people – who express concern about inflation and pollution – may be struggling with the consequences of economic growth.
That May Depend on How You Define It – and Who Are the Targets
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