Social Media Seen as Mostly Good for Democracy Across Many Nations, But U.S. is a Major Outlier
Most think social media has made it easier to manipulate and divide people, but they also say it informs and raises awareness.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Most think social media has made it easier to manipulate and divide people, but they also say it informs and raises awareness.
Wide majorities in most of the 17 advanced economies surveyed say having people of many different backgrounds improves their society, but most also see conflicts between partisan, racial and ethnic groups.
About nine-in-ten U.S. adults (91%) say they have heard little (46%) or nothing at all (45%) about the diplomatic boycott of the Olympics.
Most say cooperation with other countries is important in dealing with global threats, especially on the spread of infectious diseases.
Dissatisfaction with the functioning of democracy is linked to concerns about the economy, the pandemic and social divisions.
There is minimal praise from other societies for how the United States and China are handling climate change.
Large majorities in most of the 19 countries surveyed have negative views of China, but relatively few say bilateral relations are bad.
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.
Those on the political right are more likely to say there should have been fewer public activity restrictions during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Majorities across much of Western Europe, North America and the Asia-Pacific region have a favorable view of the European Union.
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