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.
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.
Majorities of adults in 18 of 24 countries surveyed this spring rate their nation’s economic situation poorly.
Despite the many depressing stories dominating the international news cycle, there is also a note of positivity among survey respondents in views of the UN, the benefits of international cooperation for solving problems and the importance of common values for bringing nations together.
Across 27 countries surveyed, people generally see social media as more of a good thing than a bad thing for democracy.
Focus groups with young adults in France, Germany and the United Kingdom revealed that these young people see the U.S. as the “world’s policeman” with a self-interested history of interventionism, while China is labeled the “world’s factory,” respected for its economic dominance but criticized for its expansionism and human rights violations.
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.
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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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