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.
Majorities of U.S. adults have favorable views of Ukraine (64%) and NATO (62%). About seven-in-ten Republicans (71%) say the U.S. should pay less attention to problems overseas and focus on concerns at home — up from 65% in 2021.
Most say U.S. is reliable partner, and ratings for Biden are mostly positive – although down significantly from last year.
Overwhelmingly, people believe the U.S. interferes in the affairs of other countries (82%), but most also believe the U.S. contributes to peace and stability around the world (61%). U.S. President Joe Biden receives mostly positive reviews from publics around the world with 54% expressing confidence in Biden, while 39% say they lack confidence in him.
A median of 66% across eight EU member nations rated the organization positively this summer.
Publics disagree about whether restrictions on public activity, such as stay-at-home orders or mandates to wear masks in public, have gone far enough to combat COVID-19.
Many Europeans say the European Union promotes peace, and most think it promotes democratic values and prosperity. But they also tend to see it as inefficient, intrusive and out of touch with citizens’ needs.
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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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