Around the world, more people are unhappy with the state of democracy in their countries than are content, a new Pew Research Centre survey finds.
Across 27 countries polled, a median of 51% are dissatisfied with how democracy is working in their country; just 45% are satisfied.
To better understand the discontent many feel with democracy, Pew Research Center asked people in each of the 27 nations about a variety of economic, political, social and security issues. The results indicate that dissatisfaction with democracy is related to the status of individual rights, economic frustration, and perceptions that political elites are corrupt and do not care about average citizens.
Additionally, in Europe, discontent with how democracy is working is tied to views about the European Union, whether immigrants are adopting national customs, and attitudes toward populist parties.
These are among the findings of a Pew Research Center survey conducted among 30 133 people in 27 countries from 14 May to 12 August 2018.
Additional key findings from the survey include:
* Frustration with politicians breeds dissatisfaction with the way democracy is working. A median of 54% say most politicians in their country are corrupt. Moreover, a median of only 35% say that elected officials in their country care what ordinary people think. Dissatisfaction with democracy is especially common among people who see politicians as unscrupulous and out of touch.
* Economic evaluations tie into how people see democracy. A median of 57% say most people in their country have a good chance to improve their standard of living, and those who feel this way tend to be more satisfied with how democracy is working in their country. More generally, those who think the country’s economy is in bad shape tend to be more dissatisfied.
* In Europe, dissatisfaction with democracy is related to concerns about the EU, immigration and support for populist parties. Europeans who have a negative view of the EU tend to be more dissatisfied with the way democracy is working in their countries than those who have a positive view of the EU. And, in six European countries, those who think immigrants want to be distinct from society are more likely to be dissatisfied with democracy than those who think immigrants want to adopt the country’s customs. In most European countries, too, those who have favorable views of populist parties tend to be more dissatisfied.
* Many say most people in their country live in safe areas – but this attitude does not inform people’s satisfaction with democracy. A median of 35% say most people live in areas where it’s dangerous to walk around at night, though concerns are higher in the emerging economies surveyed. People’s attitudes about safety have little bearing on whether they are satisfied with the way democracy is working in their country.
* In many countries, dissatisfaction with democracy grew between 2017 and 2018. This increasing dissatisfaction is evident around the globe, regardless of whether the economies are advanced or emerging. For example, the two countries where dissatisfaction grew the most since 2017 are India and Germany (by 22 and 17 percentage points, respectively). In the six countries where concerns about the economic situation significantly increased since 2017, democratic dissatisfaction also rose.