On the Country’s 250th Anniversary, the American People Are in a Sour Mood
Still, many express some optimism: Most people say they feel “hopeful” and 54% say they’re “happy” when thinking about the future.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
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How People in 24 Countries Think Democracy Can Improve
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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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.
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Representative Democracy Remains a Popular Ideal, but People Around the World Are Critical of How It’s Working
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.
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Majorities in most countries surveyed say social media is good for democracy
Across 27 countries surveyed, people generally see social media as more of a good thing than a bad thing for democracy.
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Bipartisan Support for Early In-Person Voting, Voter ID, Election Day National Holiday
47% of Americans favor banning groups from collecting completed ballots to return to official voting centers, while 50% oppose this. The public is also divided over removing people from voter registration lists if they have not voted recently or confirmed their registration, with slightly more opposing this (55%) than supporting it (44%).
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Tuning Out: Americans on the Edge of Politics
Untethered from partisan politics and uninterested in keeping up with political news, here is how some Americans view the current state of U.S. politics.
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Americans’ Dismal Views of the Nation’s Politics
Americans’ views of politics and elected officials are unrelentingly negative, with little hope of improvement on the horizon. 65% of Americans say they always or often feel exhausted when thinking about politics. By contrast, just 10% say they always or often feel hopeful about politics.
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Americans differ by party, ideology over the impact of social media on U.S. democracy
74% of Republicans say social media has been more of a bad thing for U.S. democracy, compared with a smaller majority of Democrats (57%).
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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.
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In advanced and emerging economies, similar views on how social media affects democracy and society
People in advanced and emerging economies have mixed feelings about social media’s impact on political life.
