---
title: "Discontent with Politics Common in Many Emerging and Developing Nations"
description: "People in emerging and developing countries around the world are on balance unhappy with the way their political systems are working. "
date: "2015-02-12"
authors:
  - name: "No Author"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2015/02/12/discontent-with-politics-common-in-many-emerging-and-developing-nations/"
categories:
  - "Economic Conditions"
  - "International Political Values"
  - "National Conditions"
datasets:
  - name: "Spring 2014 Global Attitudes"
    url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/dataset/2014-spring-global-attitudes/"
---

# Discontent with Politics Common in Many Emerging and Developing Nations

## Table of Contents
1. [Discontent with Politics Common in Many Emerging and Developing Nations](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2015/02/12/discontent-with-politics-common-in-many-emerging-and-developing-nations/markdown)
   - [Political Dissatisfaction](#political-dissatisfaction)
   - [High-Income People Have Too Much Political Power](#high-income-people-have-too-much-political-power)
2. [Methods in Detail](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2015/02/12/32157/markdown)

[![Political Dissatisfaction High in Middle East and Latin America](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2015/02/Political-Satisfaction-Report-03.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2015/02/12/discontent-with-politics-common-in-many-emerging-and-developing-nations/political-satisfaction-report-03/)

[tweetable url="http://pewrsr.ch/PoliSat2015" alt="Political discontent is particularly widespread in the Middle East and Latin America"]

[tweetable url="http://pewrsr.ch/PoliSat2015" alt="Political satisfaction is closely tied to views about national economic conditions"]

### Political Dissatisfaction

[tweetable url="http://pewrsr.ch/PoliSat2015" alt="Half or more of those surveyed in 19 of 31 countries express disappointment in their political system"]

[tweetable url="http://pewrsr.ch/PoliSat2015" alt="Asians stand out as the happiest with their political system"]

[tweetable url="http://pewrsr.ch/PoliSat2015" alt="In Africa, people have split views on their political system – a median of 50% are dissatisfied and 49% are satisfied"]

[interactive slug="political-satisfaction"]

[tweetable url="http://pewrsr.ch/PoliSat2015" alt="Countries where the economic mood is negative also have high levels of unhappiness with the political system"]

In every country surveyed, people who describe the current economic situation as bad are especially likely to express dissatisfaction with their political system. Differences are particularly stark in Venezuela, where 71% of those who rate the economy negatively are unhappy with the political system, compared with 17% of those who say the economy is doing well. People who believe inequality is a *very* big problem are also more likely to express disappointment in their political system in 12 of the 31 countries polled.

### High-Income People Have Too Much Political Power

[![Most Believe Well-Off Have Too Much Power](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2015/02/Political-Satisfaction-Report-05.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2015/02/12/discontent-with-politics-common-in-many-emerging-and-developing-nations/political-satisfaction-report-05/)

[tweetable url="http://pewrsr.ch/PoliSat2015" alt="A median of 64% across 34 emerging/developing nations say higher-income people have too much influence in politics"]

[![Publics in Latin America, Africa Most Likely to Say Wealthy Are Too Powerful](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2015/02/Political-Satisfaction-Report-04.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2015/02/12/discontent-with-politics-common-in-many-emerging-and-developing-nations/political-satisfaction-report-04/)

In 29 of 34 countries, more than half say too much political influence rests in the hands of society’s wealthiest people. This is especially true in Latin America, where a median of 74% say those with higher incomes have too much influence. Colombians, Peruvians and Brazilians are among the most ardent believers – about eight-in-ten in each country say that the rich have too much sway. Venezuela, which is still led by an acolyte of Hugo Chavez, is the only country in the region where less than half (44%) say the wealthy have too much influence. Those on the ideological right in Venezuela are somewhat more likely to believe that the well-off should have more political sway.

Sub-Saharan Africans (a median of 68%), Middle Easterners (61%) and Asians (57%) also report that those in the upper echelons of society have too much political influence. There are only two countries in the survey where fewer than four-in-ten believe the wealthy wield too much power – China (38%) and Vietnam (37%), two nations still ruled by officially Communist parties. Roughly a quarter in both countries believe the rich should have more influence on their political system than they currently do.

---

**Next:** [Methods in Detail](https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2015/02/12/32157.md)