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.
Most Americans see little ability for the U.S. and China to cooperate on climate change policy or combating the spread of infectious disease. A majority of Americans continue to view the China-Russia partnership as a very serious problem for the U.S.
40% of U.S. adults say there’s a lot of discrimination against Jews in society, and 44% say there’s a lot of discrimination against Muslims.
A 24-country survey finds a median of 59% are dissatisfied with how their democracy is functioning, and 74% think elected officials don’t care what people like them think.
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.
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.
In preelection tweets about the U.S., lawmakers abroad focused on how the election will affect bilateral ties and trade.
Although most national officials use the platform, their posts receive only a small number of likes and retweets.
Many who use social media say they regularly see false or misleading content, but also view these platforms as offering new avenues for political engagement.
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