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.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Amid growing discontent with the state of democracy globally, we asked over 30,000 people what changes would make their democracy work better.
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.
Large majorities in most of the 19 countries surveyed have negative views of China, but relatively few say bilateral relations are bad.
Citizens offer mixed reviews of how their societies have responded to climate change, and many question the efficacy of international efforts to stave off a global environmental crisis.
Family is preeminent for most publics but work, material well-being and health also play a key role.
Unfavorable views of China also hover near historic highs in most of the 17 advanced economies surveyed.
The spread of infectious diseases is the top concern in the U.S., UK, Japan and South Korea as global economic concerns grow.
Across 14 advanced nations, a median of 61% say China has done a bad job in handling the coronavirus outbreak. And at least seven-in-ten in each of these countries have little or no confidence in President Xi Jinping.
Thirty years ago, a wave of optimism swept across Europe as walls and regimes fell, and long-oppressed publics embraced open societies, open markets and a more united Europe. Three decades later, a new Pew Research Center survey finds that few people in the former Eastern Bloc regret the monumental changes of 1989-1991.
People around the world agree that climate change poses a severe risk to their countries, according to a 26-nation survey conducted in spring 2018. Terrorism, specifically from ISIS, and cyberattacks are also seen by many as major security threats.
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ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.
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