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.
In an open-ended question allowing Americans to name which country they see as the greatest threat to the U.S., 50% name China.
The share of the public that supports authoritarian systems ranges from 85% in India to 8% in Sweden.
People in advanced and emerging economies have mixed feelings about social media’s impact on political life.
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.
We asked over 30,000 people what would help democracy work better in their country. Key themes in their responses were addressing basic needs and improving or rebuilding the political system.
Much larger shares of people in most nations see China’s influence growing than say the same of the United States.
Many legislators in four English-speaking countries directly addressed George Floyd’s killing and the subsequent protests on Twitter.
Donald Trump’s international image remains poor, and ratings for the U.S. have declined since his election. Yet most people around the world still want the U.S., not China, as the world’s leading power.
Across 38 nations, a median of 42% say the U.S. is the world’s leading economy, while 32% name China. But the economic balance of power has shifted in the eyes of some key U.S. allies and trading partners.
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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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