We asked respondents in both countries to, in their own words, define what democracy means to them. Most commonly, people mention three broad concepts: freedom and human rights, elections and procedures, and having a voice in government.

Belgium, Finland and Italy are among the European countries with the shortest median lengths of government.

Around two-thirds of adults in Germany, France and the UK say it is important for their national government to make voting compulsory.

Here are five key findings about people’s attitudes toward systemic reforms in the U.S., France, Germany and the UK.

65% of U.S. adults say science has had a mostly positive effect on society; 28% say it has had an equal mix of positive and negative effects.

People in advanced and emerging economies have mixed feelings about social media’s impact on political life.

A median of 70% of adults across 19 countries say children in their country will be worse off than their parents financially when they grow up.

Nearly 19,000 adults in publics ranging from the UK, Italy, Greece, Japan, South Korea, Germany, and the U.S., among others, share where they find meaning in their lives and what keeps them going.