{"id":299511,"date":"2026-04-15T09:03:46","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T13:03:46","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-05-28T09:21:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T13:21:27","slug":"multiple-indicators-show-a-decline-in-the-health-of-americas-democracy-in-2025","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/04\/15\/multiple-indicators-show-a-decline-in-the-health-of-americas-democracy-in-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Multiple indicators show a decline in the health of America\u2019s democracy in 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-640-wide\"><img data-dominant-color=\"7b6e77\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #7b6e77;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png?resize=480,270 480w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png?resize=782,440 782w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png?resize=960,540 960w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png?resize=1200,675 1200w, https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png?resize=1280,720 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"360\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png?w=640\" alt=\"Virginia voters cast their ballots at Robious Elementary School on Nov. 4, 2025. (Win McNamee\/Getty Images)\" class=\"wp-image-299548 not-transparent\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Virginia voters cast their ballots at Robious Elementary School on Nov. 4, 2025. (Win McNamee\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The health of America\u2019s democracy declined in 2025, according to new evaluations from organizations that have long tracked how well democracies around the world are working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignright has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-bd6cbb4d wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><figure class=\"wp-chart-builder\">\t\t<div style=\"max-width:420px\" class=\"wp-chart-builder-wrapper alignnone wp-block-prc-chart-builder-controller--freeform wp-block-prc-chart-builder-controller\" id=\"f6bdfc3e-f194-4ab0-96cc-3514ef494506\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-chart-builder\/controller\" 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years&lt;\\\/strong&gt;&quot;,&quot;subtitle&quot;:&quot;Ratings of U.S. democracy, 2005-2025&quot;,&quot;note&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;source&quot;:&quot;Source: Pew Research Center analysis of data from the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute, Freedom House, and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).&quot;,&quot;tag&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;tableData&quot;:{&quot;header&quot;:[&quot;Year&quot;,&quot;Freedom in the World score&quot;,&quot;V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index&quot;,&quot;EIU Democracy 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class=\"cb__text-wrapper\" style=\"max-width:420px;\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<hr class=\"cb__hr\" style=\"margin: 0 0 10px; max-width:420px;\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t<div data-wp-interactive=\"prc-chart-builder\/chart\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;f6bdfc3e-f194-4ab0-96cc-3514ef494506-chart&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__title\" data-meta-field=\"title\"><strong>Democracy indicators show a decline in America&#8217;s standing in recent years<\/strong><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__subtitle\" data-meta-field=\"subtitle\">Ratings of U.S. democracy, 2005-2025<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wp-chart-builder-freeform-chart has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><figure class=\"wp-chart-builder\">\t\t<div style=\"max-width:420px\" class=\"wp-chart-builder-wrapper alignnone wp-block-prc-chart-builder-controller\" id=\"1b285e1f-d844-4fb1-90e4-100dbcb28880\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-chart-builder\/controller\" 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data-wp-init--detect-web-share-support=\"callbacks.detectWebShareSupport\" data-wp-init--sync-table-height=\"callbacks.syncTableHeight\" data-wp-init--watch-chart=\"callbacks.watchChart\" data-png-url=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png\" data-has-csv=\"true\" data-post-url=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/04\/15\/multiple-indicators-show-a-decline-in-the-health-of-americas-democracy-in-2025\/\" data-chart-url=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/04\/15\/multiple-indicators-show-a-decline-in-the-health-of-americas-democracy-in-2025\/\" data-chart-title=\"Line Chart\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-chart-builder-inner wp-block-prc-chart-builder-chart\" id=\"chart-block-13\" data-wp-key=\"650ba428-2879-4db8-868f-e86025eedee4-chart\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-chart-builder\/chart\" data-prc-chart-id=\"650ba428-2879-4db8-868f-e86025eedee4-chart\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;650ba428-2879-4db8-868f-e86025eedee4-chart&quot;}\" data-wp-watch--init-render=\"callbacks.watchForRender\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.watchForResize\"><div id=\"650ba428-2879-4db8-868f-e86025eedee4-chart\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png\" alt=\"Chart\" class=\"chart-fallback chart-fallback--png\" style=\"width:430px;height:auto;\" \/><\/div><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div data-wp-interactive=\"prc-chart-builder\/chart\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;f6bdfc3e-f194-4ab0-96cc-3514ef494506-chart&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__note cb__note--note\" data-meta-field=\"note\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__note cb__note--source\" data-meta-field=\"source\">Source: Pew Research Center analysis of data from the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute, Freedom House, and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__tag\" data-meta-field=\"tag\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<hr class=\"cb__hr\" style=\"margin: 10px 0 0px; max-width:420px;\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- register a callback on this div to see if the native share is supported -->\n\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"share-modal__overlay\"\n\t\t\t\tid=\"share-modal__overlay-f6bdfc3e-f194-4ab0-96cc-3514ef494506\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-class--active=\"state.isActive\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-class--web-share-supported=\"state.webShareSupported\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.hideModal\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.hideModal\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-chart-view=\"share\"\n\t\t\t><\/div>\n\t\t\t<!-- TODO: I would like to be able to use the social share block here. Need to modify it to work with the share modal. -->\n\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"share-modal\" id=\"share-modal-f6bdfc3e-f194-4ab0-96cc-3514ef494506\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-class--active=\"state.isActive\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-class--web-share-supported=\"state.webShareSupported\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-chart-view=\"share\"\n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"share-modal__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"share-modal__header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"share-modal__title\">Share this chart<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"share-modal__close\" aria-label=\"Close Share Modal\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.hideModal\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dashicons dashicons-no-alt\"><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"share-modal__body\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"share-modal__button share-modal__button--twitter\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.shareTwitter\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.shareTwitter\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Share on X<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"share-modal__button share-modal__button--facebook\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.shareFacebook\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.shareFacebook\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Share on Facebook<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"wp-chart-builder-table\" data-chart-view=\"table\" data-wp-class--active=\"state.isActive\" id=\"f6bdfc3e-f194-4ab0-96cc-3514ef494506-table\" style=\"max-width:420px;\">\t\t\t<hr style=\"margin: 0px 0px 10px; max-width: 420px;\">\n\t\t\t<div data-wp-interactive=\"prc-chart-builder\/chart\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;f6bdfc3e-f194-4ab0-96cc-3514ef494506-chart&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__title\" data-meta-field=\"title\"><strong>Democracy indicators show a decline in America&#8217;s standing in recent years<\/strong><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__subtitle\" data-meta-field=\"subtitle\">Ratings of U.S. democracy, 2005-2025<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-chart-builder-table__inner\" style=\"max-width: 420px !important; margin-bottom: 0; overflow: auto;\">\n\t\t\t\t\n<figure class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table is-scroll-on-pc is-scroll-on-mobile chart-builder-data-table has-sans-serif-font-family has-small-font-size\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout is-sticky-first-column\"><thead><tr><th style=\"text-align:left\">Year<\/th><th style=\"text-align:left\">Freedom in the World score<\/th><th style=\"text-align:left\">V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index<\/th><th style=\"text-align:left\">EIU Democracy Index<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/05<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">93<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.79<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\"><\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/06<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">93<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.8<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">8.22<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/07<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">94<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.84<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\"><\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/08<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">94<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.85<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">8.22<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/09<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">94<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.85<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\"><\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/10<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">94<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.85<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">8.18<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/11<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">93<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.85<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">8.11<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/12<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">93<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.84<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">8.11<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/13<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">92<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.85<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">8.11<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/14<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">92<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.85<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">8.11<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/15<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">90<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.85<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">8.05<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/16<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">89<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.83<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">7.98<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/17<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">86<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.75<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">7.98<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/18<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">86<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.74<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">7.96<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/19<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">86<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.74<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">7.96<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/20<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">83<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.73<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">7.92<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/21<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">83<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.76<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">7.85<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/22<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">83<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.77<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">7.85<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/23<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">83<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.79<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">7.85<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/24<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">84<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.75<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">7.85<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/25<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">81<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.57<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">7.65<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<hr class=\"cb__download-data-button-hr\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__download-data-button\">\n\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.downloadData\"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.downloadData\"\n\t\t\t\t\ttabindex=\"0\"\n\t\t\t\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"has-sans-serif-font-family\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\tDownload data as .csv\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div data-wp-interactive=\"prc-chart-builder\/chart\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;f6bdfc3e-f194-4ab0-96cc-3514ef494506-chart&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__note cb__note--note\" data-meta-field=\"note\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__note cb__note--source\" data-meta-field=\"source\">Source: Pew Research Center analysis of data from the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute, Freedom House, and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__tag\" data-meta-field=\"tag\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<hr style=\"margin: 10px 0px 0px; max-width: 420px;\">\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"wp-chart-builder-view-buttons\" style=\"max-width:420px;\"><div class=\"wp-chart-builder-view-buttons__tabs\"><button class=\"view-button view-button--chart\" data-chart-view=\"chart\" data-chart-id=\"f6bdfc3e-f194-4ab0-96cc-3514ef494506\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.setActiveTab\" data-wp-class--active=\"state.isActive\">Chart<\/button><button class=\"view-button view-button--table\" data-chart-view=\"table\" data-chart-id=\"f6bdfc3e-f194-4ab0-96cc-3514ef494506\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.setActiveTab\" data-wp-class--active=\"state.isActive\">Data<\/button><\/div><div class=\"wp-chart-builder-view-buttons__actions\"><button class=\"view-button view-button--download-image\" data-chart-id=\"f6bdfc3e-f194-4ab0-96cc-3514ef494506\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.downloadImage\">Download Image<\/button><button class=\"view-button view-button--share\" data-chart-view=\"share\" data-chart-id=\"f6bdfc3e-f194-4ab0-96cc-3514ef494506\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.setActiveTab\" data-wp-class--active=\"state.isActive\">Share<\/button><\/div><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The assessments come as most Americans say democracy in the United States <em>used<\/em> to be a good example for other countries to follow but has not been in recent years, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. And roughly seven-in-ten Americans are dissatisfied with the way their democracy is working. (<a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/04\/15\/multiple-indicators-show-a-decline-in-the-health-of-americas-democracy-in-2025\/#many-americans-express-dissatisfaction-with-the-way-democracy-is-working\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/04\/15\/multiple-indicators-show-a-decline-in-the-health-of-americas-democracy-in-2025\/#many-americans-express-dissatisfaction-with-the-way-democracy-is-working\">Read more below<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new ratings of America\u2019s democracy come from three organizations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.v-dem.net\/documents\/75\/V-Dem_Institute_Democracy_Report_2026_lowres.pdf\">Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute<\/a> surveys scholars and country experts to rate countries on elements of democracy including free and fair elections, checks and balances and civil rights.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Freedom House publishes the yearly <a href=\"https:\/\/freedomhouse.org\/report\/freedom-world\/2026\/growing-shadow-autocracy\">Freedom in the World report<\/a>, which rates countries on political rights and civil liberties and is based on the views of local experts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) publishes the annual <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eiu.com\/n\/campaigns\/democracy-index-2025\/\">Democracy Index<\/a>, which rates countries on electoral processes, governance, civil liberties, political participation and political culture.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-style-plus-icon has-border-color has-ui-gray-light-border-color has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-background has-sans-serif-font-family is-layout-flow wp-container-core-details-is-layout-61b01db2 wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:1px;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);font-size:clamp(0.875em, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 0.2em) * 0.009), 0.88em);\"><summary>About this research<\/summary>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This Pew Research Center analysis examines the health of democracy in the United States, based on survey data and evaluations from several organizations that track the performance of democracies worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"why-did-we-do-this\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why did we do this?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pew Research Center does research to help the public, media and decision-makers understand important topics. This research is part of our long-running work on democracy and American politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Learn more about <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/about\/\">Pew Research Center<\/a> and our work on <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/topic\/politics-policy\/\">U.S. politics and policy<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/topic\/international-affairs\/\">international affairs<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"how-did-we-do-this\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">How did we do this?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We conducted a survey March 23-29, 2026, among 3,507 U.S. adults recruited through our&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/the-american-trends-panel\/\">American Trends Panel<\/a>&nbsp;(ATP).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are the survey <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_questionnaire.pdf\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_questionnaire.pdf\">questions used for this analysis<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_topline.pdf\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_topline.pdf\">detailed responses<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_methodology.pdf\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_methodology.pdf\">survey methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This analysis is also based on the following measures:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.v-dem.net\/publications\/democracy-reports\/\">The Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute\u2019s Liberal Democracy Index<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/freedomhouse.org\/country\/scores?sort=fiw&amp;sort_order=desc\">Freedom House\u2019s Freedom in the World score<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eiu.com\/n\/campaigns\/democracy-index-2025\/\">The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Democracy Index<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.systemicpeace.org\/index.html\">The Center of Systemic Peace\u2019s Polity Project<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some organizations differ on which countries or territories they include in their analysis. To find more information, visit each organization\u2019s methodological pages.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>All three evaluations show a weakening of American democracy over the past decade, including notable declines in 2025.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong>V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index<\/strong> rates countries on a scale of 0 (least democratic) to 1 (most democratic). The U.S. had consistently received a score of 0.80 or higher in the Liberal Democracy Index, but it has been below that mark since 2017, when President Donald Trump first took office. In 2025, when Trump returned to office for his second term, the U.S. received a democracy rating of 0.57 \u2013 its lowest score since 1965.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The V-Dem report notes that the U.S. experienced particularly large declines in checks and balances. V-Dem\u2019s measures of legislative and judicial constraints on executive power, for example, fell to their lowest levels in over 100 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Related: <\/em><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2025\/12\/16\/trump-has-already-issued-more-executive-orders-in-his-second-term-than-in-his-first\/\"><em>Trump has already issued more executive orders in his second term than in his first<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">V-Dem\u2019s report downgrades the U.S. from a \u201cliberal democracy\u201d to an \u201celectoral democracy.\u201d Globally, the organization categorizes 31 nations as liberal democracies and 56 as electoral democracies. It designates another 57 countries as \u201celectoral autocracies\u201d and 35 others as \u201cclosed autocracies.\u201d (In this analysis, we follow <a href=\"https:\/\/www.v-dem.net\/documents\/72\/countryunit_v16.pdf\">V-Dem\u2019s broad criteria for what constitutes a \u201ccountry.\u201d<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong>Freedom House <\/strong>study rates countries on a scale of 0 (least democratic) to 100 (most democratic). While the U.S. consistently received a score of 90 or higher through 2015, it fell below that level in 2016 and has not recovered since. In 2025, the U.S. received a score of 81, down 3 points from 2024. From 2005 to 2025, the U.S. rating declined more than any other country that Freedom House categorizes as \u201cfree,\u201d except for Nauru and Bulgaria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong>EIU Democracy Index<\/strong> rates countries on a scale from 0 (least democratic) to 10 (most democratic). Using this index, the U.S. is categorized as a \u201cflawed democracy\u201d in 2025, with a score of 7.65 \u2013 its lowest score since the EIU began the index in 2006. It dipped below the threshold to meet the standard for a \u201cfull democracy\u201d \u2013 an 8 or higher \u2013 in 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignright has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-17d60f91 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-style-callout has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-background is-layout-flow wp-container-core-group-is-layout-2130f694 wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h4 id=\"criticisms-of-democracy-ratings\" class=\"wp-block-heading has-small-font-size\">Criticisms of democracy ratings<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/services\/aop-cambridge-core\/content\/view\/9EE2044CDA598BD815349912E61189D8\/S104909652300063Xa.pdf\/div-class-title-measuring-democratic-backsliding-div.pdf\">Some academics<\/a> have criticized these democracy ratings. However, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/journals\/ps-political-science-and-politics\/article\/how-little-and-mengs-objective-approach-fails-in-democracies\/3DB3824785F06E7D971772B28CC8CBCE\">other scholars<\/a> have disagreed with and responded to this criticism.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Center for Systemic Peace also evaluates democracies through its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.systemicpeace.org\/polityproject.html\">Polity Project<\/a>. The project rates countries from -10 to +10, with higher scores meaning a country is more democratic. In 2015, the organization gave the U.S. a +10, the most democratic grade. In 2020, it downgraded the U.S. to a +5, meaning the nation was no longer a democracy. In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.systemicpeace.org\/\">January 2025 update<\/a>, the organization wrote that the U.S. \u201cis no longer considered a democracy and lies at the cusp of autocracy.\u201d (We\u2019ve excluded the Polity Project\u2019s ratings from the charts in this analysis because the organization has not been consistently funded in recent years and no longer provides annual updates.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"u-s-democracy-ratings-trail-those-of-other-g7-nations\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">U.S. democracy ratings trail those of other G7 nations<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignright has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-bd6cbb4d wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><figure class=\"wp-chart-builder\">\t\t<div style=\"max-width:420px\" class=\"wp-chart-builder-wrapper alignnone wp-block-prc-chart-builder-controller--freeform wp-block-prc-chart-builder-controller\" id=\"574f56f6-4eda-4743-a309-945c80a6d4aa\" 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style=\"max-width:420px;\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<hr class=\"cb__hr\" style=\"margin: 0 0 10px; max-width:420px;\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t<div data-wp-interactive=\"prc-chart-builder\/chart\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;574f56f6-4eda-4743-a309-945c80a6d4aa-chart&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__title\" data-meta-field=\"title\">U.S. has fallen behind other G7 countries in its democracy rating<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__subtitle\" data-meta-field=\"subtitle\">V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index for Group of Seven (G7) countries, 2015-2025<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n<div class=\"wp-block-group wp-chart-builder-freeform-chart is-style-default is-layout-grid wp-container-core-group-is-layout-f5a07690 wp-block-group-is-layout-grid\" style=\"padding-right:0;padding-left:0\"><figure class=\"wp-chart-builder\">\t\t<div style=\"max-width:208px\" class=\"wp-chart-builder-wrapper alignnone wp-block-prc-chart-builder-controller\" id=\"a41d4de6-603f-43c8-86d7-e881a0f3fcd5\" 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data-png-url=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png\" data-has-csv=\"true\" data-post-url=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/04\/15\/multiple-indicators-show-a-decline-in-the-health-of-americas-democracy-in-2025\/\" data-chart-url=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/04\/15\/multiple-indicators-show-a-decline-in-the-health-of-americas-democracy-in-2025\/\" data-chart-title=\"Line Chart\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-chart-builder-inner wp-block-prc-chart-builder-chart\" id=\"chart-block-34\" data-wp-key=\"df8228c1-5f25-4a42-b6b7-1f88b9853692-chart\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-chart-builder\/chart\" data-prc-chart-id=\"df8228c1-5f25-4a42-b6b7-1f88b9853692-chart\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;df8228c1-5f25-4a42-b6b7-1f88b9853692-chart&quot;}\" data-wp-watch--init-render=\"callbacks.watchForRender\" 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data-png-url=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png\" data-has-csv=\"true\" data-post-url=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/04\/15\/multiple-indicators-show-a-decline-in-the-health-of-americas-democracy-in-2025\/\" data-chart-url=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/04\/15\/multiple-indicators-show-a-decline-in-the-health-of-americas-democracy-in-2025\/\" data-chart-title=\"Line Chart\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-chart-builder-inner wp-block-prc-chart-builder-chart\" id=\"chart-block-36\" data-wp-key=\"514ae3b0-f179-4bcf-a937-1299ce9a9722-chart\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-chart-builder\/chart\" data-prc-chart-id=\"514ae3b0-f179-4bcf-a937-1299ce9a9722-chart\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;514ae3b0-f179-4bcf-a937-1299ce9a9722-chart&quot;}\" data-wp-watch--init-render=\"callbacks.watchForRender\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.watchForResize\"><div id=\"514ae3b0-f179-4bcf-a937-1299ce9a9722-chart\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png\" alt=\"Chart\" class=\"chart-fallback chart-fallback--png\" style=\"width:208px;height:auto;\" \/><\/div><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-chart-builder\">\t\t<div style=\"max-width:208px\" class=\"wp-chart-builder-wrapper alignnone wp-block-prc-chart-builder-controller\" id=\"4fe3a47f-06a1-4e65-be17-5ba953eb5431\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-chart-builder\/controller\" 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data-png-url=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png\" data-has-csv=\"true\" data-post-url=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/04\/15\/multiple-indicators-show-a-decline-in-the-health-of-americas-democracy-in-2025\/\" data-chart-url=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/04\/15\/multiple-indicators-show-a-decline-in-the-health-of-americas-democracy-in-2025\/\" data-chart-title=\"Line Chart\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-chart-builder-inner wp-block-prc-chart-builder-chart\" id=\"chart-block-38\" data-wp-key=\"4fe3a47f-06a1-4e65-be17-5ba953eb5431-chart\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-chart-builder\/chart\" data-prc-chart-id=\"4fe3a47f-06a1-4e65-be17-5ba953eb5431-chart\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;4fe3a47f-06a1-4e65-be17-5ba953eb5431-chart&quot;}\" data-wp-watch--init-render=\"callbacks.watchForRender\" 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data-png-url=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png\" data-has-csv=\"true\" data-post-url=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/04\/15\/multiple-indicators-show-a-decline-in-the-health-of-americas-democracy-in-2025\/\" data-chart-url=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/04\/15\/multiple-indicators-show-a-decline-in-the-health-of-americas-democracy-in-2025\/\" data-chart-title=\"Line Chart\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-chart-builder-inner wp-block-prc-chart-builder-chart\" id=\"chart-block-40\" data-wp-key=\"4cbb0947-7c7d-4364-b8b0-9e17e0d20884-chart\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-chart-builder\/chart\" data-prc-chart-id=\"4cbb0947-7c7d-4364-b8b0-9e17e0d20884-chart\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;4cbb0947-7c7d-4364-b8b0-9e17e0d20884-chart&quot;}\" data-wp-watch--init-render=\"callbacks.watchForRender\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.watchForResize\"><div id=\"4cbb0947-7c7d-4364-b8b0-9e17e0d20884-chart\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png\" alt=\"Chart\" class=\"chart-fallback chart-fallback--png\" style=\"width:208px;height:auto;\" \/><\/div><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-chart-builder\">\t\t<div style=\"max-width:208px\" class=\"wp-chart-builder-wrapper alignnone wp-block-prc-chart-builder-controller\" id=\"48c338b1-6c01-4a0b-9f9e-620b7b4dcd03\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-chart-builder\/controller\" 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data-png-url=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png\" data-has-csv=\"true\" data-post-url=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/04\/15\/multiple-indicators-show-a-decline-in-the-health-of-americas-democracy-in-2025\/\" data-chart-url=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/04\/15\/multiple-indicators-show-a-decline-in-the-health-of-americas-democracy-in-2025\/\" data-chart-title=\"Line Chart\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-chart-builder-inner wp-block-prc-chart-builder-chart\" id=\"chart-block-42\" data-wp-key=\"48c338b1-6c01-4a0b-9f9e-620b7b4dcd03-chart\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-chart-builder\/chart\" data-prc-chart-id=\"48c338b1-6c01-4a0b-9f9e-620b7b4dcd03-chart\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;48c338b1-6c01-4a0b-9f9e-620b7b4dcd03-chart&quot;}\" data-wp-watch--init-render=\"callbacks.watchForRender\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.watchForResize\"><div id=\"48c338b1-6c01-4a0b-9f9e-620b7b4dcd03-chart\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png\" alt=\"Chart\" class=\"chart-fallback chart-fallback--png\" style=\"width:208px;height:auto;\" \/><\/div><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div data-wp-interactive=\"prc-chart-builder\/chart\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;574f56f6-4eda-4743-a309-945c80a6d4aa-chart&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__note cb__note--note\" data-meta-field=\"note\">Note: Group of Seven, or G7, countries are a group of top industrial democracies.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__note cb__note--source\" data-meta-field=\"source\">Source: Pew Research Center analysis of the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute\u2019s Liberal Democracy Index.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__tag\" data-meta-field=\"tag\">PEW RESEARCH CENTER<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<hr class=\"cb__hr\" style=\"margin: 10px 0 0px; max-width:420px;\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- register a callback on this div to see if the native share is supported -->\n\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"share-modal__overlay\"\n\t\t\t\tid=\"share-modal__overlay-574f56f6-4eda-4743-a309-945c80a6d4aa\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-class--active=\"state.isActive\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-class--web-share-supported=\"state.webShareSupported\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.hideModal\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.hideModal\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-chart-view=\"share\"\n\t\t\t><\/div>\n\t\t\t<!-- TODO: I would like to be able to use the social share block here. Need to modify it to work with the share modal. -->\n\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"share-modal\" id=\"share-modal-574f56f6-4eda-4743-a309-945c80a6d4aa\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-class--active=\"state.isActive\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-class--web-share-supported=\"state.webShareSupported\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-chart-view=\"share\"\n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"share-modal__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"share-modal__header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"share-modal__title\">Share this chart<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"share-modal__close\" aria-label=\"Close Share Modal\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.hideModal\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dashicons dashicons-no-alt\"><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"share-modal__body\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"share-modal__button share-modal__button--twitter\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.shareTwitter\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.shareTwitter\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Share on X<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"share-modal__button share-modal__button--facebook\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.shareFacebook\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.shareFacebook\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Share on Facebook<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"wp-chart-builder-table\" data-chart-view=\"table\" data-wp-class--active=\"state.isActive\" id=\"574f56f6-4eda-4743-a309-945c80a6d4aa-table\" style=\"max-width:420px;\">\t\t\t<hr style=\"margin: 0px 0px 10px; max-width: 420px;\">\n\t\t\t<div data-wp-interactive=\"prc-chart-builder\/chart\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;574f56f6-4eda-4743-a309-945c80a6d4aa-chart&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__title\" data-meta-field=\"title\">U.S. has fallen behind other G7 countries in its democracy rating<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__subtitle\" data-meta-field=\"subtitle\">V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index for Group of Seven (G7) countries, 2015-2025<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-chart-builder-table__inner\" style=\"max-width: 420px !important; margin-bottom: 0; overflow: auto;\">\n\t\t\t\t\n<figure class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table is-scroll-on-pc is-scroll-on-mobile chart-builder-data-table has-sans-serif-font-family has-small-font-size\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout is-sticky-first-column\"><thead><tr><th style=\"text-align:left\">Year<\/th><th style=\"text-align:left\">U.S.<\/th><th style=\"text-align:left\">Canada<\/th><th style=\"text-align:left\">France<\/th><th style=\"text-align:left\">Germany<\/th><th style=\"text-align:left\">Italy<\/th><th style=\"text-align:left\">Japan<\/th><th style=\"text-align:left\">U.K.<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/15<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">0.85<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.74<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">0.81<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"4\">0.85<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"5\">0.79<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"6\">0.74<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"7\">0.79<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/16<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">0.83<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.76<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">0.81<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"4\">0.85<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"5\">0.79<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"6\">0.74<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"7\">0.79<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/17<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">0.75<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.77<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">0.82<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"4\">0.84<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"5\">0.80<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"6\">0.74<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"7\">0.80<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/18<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">0.74<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.76<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">0.80<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"4\">0.83<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"5\">0.79<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"6\">0.76<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"7\">0.81<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/19<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">0.74<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.76<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">0.79<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"4\">0.83<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"5\">0.78<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"6\">0.75<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"7\">0.79<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/20<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">0.73<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.75<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">0.79<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"4\">0.82<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"5\">0.77<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"6\">0.74<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"7\">0.80<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/21<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">0.76<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.75<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">0.79<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"4\">0.81<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"5\">0.77<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"6\">0.74<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"7\">0.78<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/22<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">0.77<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.75<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">0.81<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"4\">0.81<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"5\">0.76<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"6\">0.74<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"7\">0.77<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/23<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">0.79<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.74<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">0.81<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"4\">0.81<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"5\">0.73<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"6\">0.75<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"7\">0.77<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/24<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">0.75<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.74<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">0.80<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"4\">0.78<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"5\">0.69<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"6\">0.74<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"7\">0.75<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">1\/1\/25<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">0.57<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">0.74<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">0.80<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"4\">0.78<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"5\">0.64<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"6\">0.73<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"7\">0.69<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<hr class=\"cb__download-data-button-hr\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__download-data-button\">\n\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.downloadData\"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.downloadData\"\n\t\t\t\t\ttabindex=\"0\"\n\t\t\t\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"has-sans-serif-font-family\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\tDownload data as .csv\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div data-wp-interactive=\"prc-chart-builder\/chart\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;574f56f6-4eda-4743-a309-945c80a6d4aa-chart&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__note cb__note--note\" data-meta-field=\"note\">Note: Group of Seven, or G7, countries are a group of top industrial democracies.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__note cb__note--source\" data-meta-field=\"source\">Source: Pew Research Center analysis of the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute\u2019s Liberal Democracy Index.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__tag\" data-meta-field=\"tag\">PEW RESEARCH CENTER<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<hr style=\"margin: 10px 0px 0px; max-width: 420px;\">\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"wp-chart-builder-view-buttons\" style=\"max-width:420px;\"><div class=\"wp-chart-builder-view-buttons__tabs\"><button class=\"view-button view-button--chart\" data-chart-view=\"chart\" data-chart-id=\"574f56f6-4eda-4743-a309-945c80a6d4aa\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.setActiveTab\" data-wp-class--active=\"state.isActive\">Chart<\/button><button class=\"view-button view-button--table\" data-chart-view=\"table\" data-chart-id=\"574f56f6-4eda-4743-a309-945c80a6d4aa\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.setActiveTab\" data-wp-class--active=\"state.isActive\">Data<\/button><\/div><div class=\"wp-chart-builder-view-buttons__actions\"><button class=\"view-button view-button--download-image\" data-chart-id=\"574f56f6-4eda-4743-a309-945c80a6d4aa\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.downloadImage\">Download Image<\/button><button class=\"view-button view-button--share\" data-chart-view=\"share\" data-chart-id=\"574f56f6-4eda-4743-a309-945c80a6d4aa\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.setActiveTab\" data-wp-class--active=\"state.isActive\">Share<\/button><\/div><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While democracy is declining in many parts of the world, the U.S. has experienced a more significant fall than other high-income democracies, according to the 2026 V-Dem report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prior to 2017, V-Dem rated the U.S. as more democratic than most of its <a href=\"https:\/\/home.treasury.gov\/policy-issues\/international\/g-7-and-g-20\">peer countries in the Group of Seven (G7)<\/a>, a group of top industrial democracies. In the organization\u2019s latest analysis, the U.S. democracy score is below that of all other G7 nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, other G7 nations also have had notable declines on the Liberal Democracy Index in recent years, particularly Italy and the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"many-americans-express-dissatisfaction-with-the-way-democracy-is-working\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Many Americans express dissatisfaction with the way democracy is working<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recent Pew Research Center surveys have shown that many Americans are unhappy about the state of the nation\u2019s democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignright has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-bd6cbb4d wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><figure class=\"wp-chart-builder\">\t\t<div style=\"max-width:430px\" class=\"wp-chart-builder-wrapper alignnone wp-block-prc-chart-builder-controller\" id=\"5c3866d8-c0b7-4a7e-9b09-b58c097fda21\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-chart-builder\/controller\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;5c3866d8-c0b7-4a7e-9b09-b58c097fda21&quot;,&quot;postId&quot;:299511,&quot;postUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/beta.pewresearch.org\\\/pewresearch-org\\\/short-reads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/15\\\/multiple-indicators-show-a-decline-in-the-health-of-americas-democracy-in-2025\\\/&quot;,&quot;chartPostUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/beta.pewresearch.org\\\/pewresearch-org\\\/chart\\\/sr_26-04-02_democracyratings_stacked\\\/&quot;,&quot;postPubDate&quot;:&quot;2026-04-15&quot;,&quot;rootUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/beta.pewresearch.org\\\/pewresearch-org&quot;,&quot;featuredImageId&quot;:299714,&quot;featuredImageUrl&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/beta.pewresearch.org\\\/pewresearch-org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/20\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/nearly_7_in_10_americans_say_us_democracy_used_to_be_a_good_example_but_has_not_been_in_recent_years-298031-1776258816.png&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Nearly 7 in 10 Americans say U.S. democracy used to be a good example, but has not been in recent years&quot;,&quot;subtitle&quot;:&quot;&lt;em&gt;% of U.S. adults who say that democracy in the U.S. \\u2026&lt;\\\/em&gt;&quot;,&quot;note&quot;:&quot;Note: See &lt;a href=\\&quot;https:\\\/\\\/beta.pewresearch.org\\\/pewresearch-org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/20\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_topline.pdf\\&quot; data-type=\\&quot;link\\&quot; data-id=\\&quot;https:\\\/\\\/beta.pewresearch.org\\\/pewresearch-org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/20\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_topline.pdf\\&quot; target=\\&quot;_blank\\&quot; rel=\\&quot;noreferrer noopener\\&quot;&gt;topline&lt;\\\/a&gt; for full question wording. Those who did not answer are not shown.&quot;,&quot;source&quot;:&quot;Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted March 23-29, 2026. &quot;,&quot;tag&quot;:&quot;PEW RESEARCH CENTER&quot;,&quot;tableData&quot;:{&quot;header&quot;:[&quot;Date&quot;,&quot;Has never been a good example&quot;,&quot;Used to be a good example but has not been in recent years&quot;,&quot;Is a good example&quot;],&quot;rows&quot;:[[&quot;April 2024&quot;,&quot;8&quot;,&quot;72&quot;,&quot;19&quot;],[&quot;March 2026&quot;,&quot;7&quot;,&quot;68&quot;,&quot;24&quot;],[&quot;April 2024&quot;,&quot;6&quot;,&quot;75&quot;,&quot;17&quot;],[&quot;March 2026&quot;,&quot;6&quot;,&quot;56&quot;,&quot;38&quot;],[&quot;April 2024&quot;,&quot;7&quot;,&quot;71&quot;,&quot;22&quot;],[&quot;March 2026&quot;,&quot;7&quot;,&quot;80&quot;,&quot;12&quot;]]}}\" data-wp-init--detect-web-share-support=\"callbacks.detectWebShareSupport\" data-wp-init--sync-table-height=\"callbacks.syncTableHeight\" data-wp-init--watch-chart=\"callbacks.watchChart\" data-png-url=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/nearly_7_in_10_americans_say_us_democracy_used_to_be_a_good_example_but_has_not_been_in_recent_years-298031-1776258816.png\" data-has-csv=\"true\" data-post-url=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/04\/15\/multiple-indicators-show-a-decline-in-the-health-of-americas-democracy-in-2025\/\" data-chart-url=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/chart\/sr_26-04-02_democracyratings_stacked\/\" data-chart-title=\"Nearly 7 in 10 Americans say U.S. democracy used to be a good example, but has not been in recent years\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-chart-builder-chart\" data-chart-view=\"chart\" data-allow-overlay=\"true\" data-wp-class--active=\"state.isActive\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-chart-builder-inner wp-block-prc-chart-builder-chart\" id=\"chart-block-44\" data-wp-key=\"5c3866d8-c0b7-4a7e-9b09-b58c097fda21-chart\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-chart-builder\/chart\" data-prc-chart-id=\"5c3866d8-c0b7-4a7e-9b09-b58c097fda21-chart\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;5c3866d8-c0b7-4a7e-9b09-b58c097fda21-chart&quot;}\" data-wp-watch--init-render=\"callbacks.watchForRender\" data-wp-on-window--resize=\"callbacks.watchForResize\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__text-wrapper\" style=\"max-width:430px;\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<hr class=\"cb__hr\" style=\"margin: 0 0 10px; max-width:430px;\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__title\" data-meta-field=\"title\">Nearly 7 in 10 Americans say U.S. democracy used to be a good example, but has not been in recent years<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__subtitle\" data-meta-field=\"subtitle\"><em>% of U.S. adults who say that democracy in the U.S. \u2026<\/em><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"5c3866d8-c0b7-4a7e-9b09-b58c097fda21-chart\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/nearly_7_in_10_americans_say_us_democracy_used_to_be_a_good_example_but_has_not_been_in_recent_years-298031-1776258816.png\" alt=\"Chart\" class=\"chart-fallback chart-fallback--png\" style=\"width:430px;height:auto;\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__note cb__note--note\" data-meta-field=\"note\">Note: See <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_topline.pdf\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_topline.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">topline<\/a> for full question wording. Those who did not answer are not shown.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__note cb__note--source\" data-meta-field=\"source\">Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted March 23-29, 2026. <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__tag\" data-meta-field=\"tag\">PEW RESEARCH CENTER<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<hr class=\"cb__hr\" style=\"margin: 10px 0 0; max-width:430px;\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\t\t\t<!-- register a callback on this div to see if the native share is supported -->\n\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"share-modal__overlay\"\n\t\t\t\tid=\"share-modal__overlay-5c3866d8-c0b7-4a7e-9b09-b58c097fda21\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-class--active=\"state.isActive\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-class--web-share-supported=\"state.webShareSupported\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.hideModal\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.hideModal\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-chart-view=\"share\"\n\t\t\t><\/div>\n\t\t\t<!-- TODO: I would like to be able to use the social share block here. Need to modify it to work with the share modal. -->\n\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"share-modal\" id=\"share-modal-5c3866d8-c0b7-4a7e-9b09-b58c097fda21\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-class--active=\"state.isActive\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-wp-class--web-share-supported=\"state.webShareSupported\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-chart-view=\"share\"\n\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"share-modal__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"share-modal__header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"share-modal__title\">Share this chart<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"share-modal__close\" aria-label=\"Close Share Modal\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.hideModal\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"dashicons dashicons-no-alt\"><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"share-modal__body\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"share-modal__button share-modal__button--twitter\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.shareTwitter\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.shareTwitter\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Share on X<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<button\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"share-modal__button share-modal__button--facebook\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.shareFacebook\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.shareFacebook\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Share on Facebook<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"wp-chart-builder-table\" data-chart-view=\"table\" data-wp-class--active=\"state.isActive\" id=\"5c3866d8-c0b7-4a7e-9b09-b58c097fda21-table\" style=\"max-width:430px;\">\t\t\t<hr style=\"margin: 0px 0px 10px; max-width: 430px;\">\n\t\t\t<div data-wp-interactive=\"prc-chart-builder\/chart\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;5c3866d8-c0b7-4a7e-9b09-b58c097fda21-chart&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__title\" data-meta-field=\"title\">Nearly 7 in 10 Americans say U.S. democracy used to be a good example, but has not been in recent years<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__subtitle\" data-meta-field=\"subtitle\"><em>% of U.S. adults who say that democracy in the U.S. \u2026<\/em><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-chart-builder-table__inner\" style=\"max-width: 430px !important; margin-bottom: 0; overflow: auto;\">\n\t\t\t\t\n<figure class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table is-scroll-on-pc is-scroll-on-mobile chart-builder-data-table has-sans-serif-font-family has-small-font-size\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout is-sticky-first-column\"><thead><tr><th style=\"text-align:left\">Date<\/th><th style=\"text-align:left\">Has never been a good example<\/th><th style=\"text-align:left\">Used to be a good example but has not been in recent years<\/th><th style=\"text-align:left\">Is a good example<\/th><th class=\"is-column-hidden\" style=\"text-align:left\">Group<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">April 2024<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">8<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">72<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">19<\/td><td class=\"is-column-hidden\" data-prc-v-col=\"4\">Total<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">March 2026<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">7<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">68<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">24<\/td><td class=\"is-column-hidden\" data-prc-v-col=\"4\">Total<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">April 2024<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">6<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">75<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">17<\/td><td class=\"is-column-hidden\" data-prc-v-col=\"4\">Among Republicans<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">March 2026<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">6<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">56<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">38<\/td><td class=\"is-column-hidden\" data-prc-v-col=\"4\">Among Republicans<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">April 2024<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">7<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">71<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">22<\/td><td class=\"is-column-hidden\" data-prc-v-col=\"4\">Among Democrats<\/td><\/tr><tr><td data-prc-v-col=\"0\">March 2026<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"1\">7<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"2\">80<\/td><td data-prc-v-col=\"3\">12<\/td><td class=\"is-column-hidden\" data-prc-v-col=\"4\">Among Democrats<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<hr class=\"cb__download-data-button-hr\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__download-data-button\">\n\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--click=\"actions.downloadData\"\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-wp-on--keydown=\"actions.downloadData\"\n\t\t\t\t\ttabindex=\"0\"\n\t\t\t\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"has-sans-serif-font-family\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\tDownload data as .csv\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div data-wp-interactive=\"prc-chart-builder\/chart\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;5c3866d8-c0b7-4a7e-9b09-b58c097fda21-chart&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__note cb__note--note\" data-meta-field=\"note\">Note: See <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_topline.pdf\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_topline.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">topline<\/a> for full question wording. Those who did not answer are not shown.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__note cb__note--source\" data-meta-field=\"source\">Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted March 23-29, 2026. <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"cb__tag\" data-meta-field=\"tag\">PEW RESEARCH CENTER<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<hr style=\"margin: 10px 0px 0px; max-width: 430px;\">\n\t\t\t<\/div><div class=\"wp-chart-builder-view-buttons\" style=\"max-width:430px;\"><div class=\"wp-chart-builder-view-buttons__tabs\"><button class=\"view-button view-button--chart\" data-chart-view=\"chart\" data-chart-id=\"5c3866d8-c0b7-4a7e-9b09-b58c097fda21\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.setActiveTab\" data-wp-class--active=\"state.isActive\">Chart<\/button><button class=\"view-button view-button--table\" data-chart-view=\"table\" data-chart-id=\"5c3866d8-c0b7-4a7e-9b09-b58c097fda21\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.setActiveTab\" data-wp-class--active=\"state.isActive\">Data<\/button><\/div><div class=\"wp-chart-builder-view-buttons__actions\"><button class=\"view-button view-button--download-image\" data-chart-id=\"5c3866d8-c0b7-4a7e-9b09-b58c097fda21\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.downloadImage\">Download Image<\/button><button class=\"view-button view-button--share\" data-chart-view=\"share\" data-chart-id=\"5c3866d8-c0b7-4a7e-9b09-b58c097fda21\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.setActiveTab\" data-wp-class--active=\"state.isActive\">Share<\/button><\/div><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a March 2026 survey, 68% of Americans \u2013 including majorities in both parties \u2013 say democracy in the United States <em>used<\/em> to be a good example for other countries to follow but has not been in recent years. Far fewer (24%) say U.S. democracy is a good example for other countries to follow. Another 7% say the U.S. has <em>never<\/em> been a good example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2024\/07\/10\/72-of-americans-say-the-us-used-to-be-a-good-example-of-democracy-but-isnt-anymore\/\">a 2024 survey<\/a>, during the presidency of Joe Biden, 72% of Americans said the U.S. <em>used<\/em> to be a good example of democracy but has not been in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, there have been changes among Republicans and Democrats since 2024. Republicans and Republican-leaning independents have become more likely to describe the U.S. as a good example, while Democrats and Democratic leaners have become less likely to hold that view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the March 2026 survey, 69% of U.S. adults also say they are dissatisfied with the way democracy is working in the U.S., up 7 percentage points from last year. Democrats are overwhelmingly dissatisfied with how democracy is working (86% dissatisfied, 13% satisfied), while Republicans are divided (51% dissatisfied, 48% satisfied).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. also stands out among wealthy countries for having a large share of \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/04\/15\/americans-stand-out-internationally-for-their-pessimism-about-the-nations-political-system\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/04\/15\/americans-stand-out-internationally-for-their-pessimism-about-the-nations-political-system\/\">pessimistic reformers<\/a>\u201d \u2013 that is, people who say the nation\u2019s political system needs major changes or complete reform but aren\u2019t confident that such changes can happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Related: <\/em><\/strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/04\/15\/americans-stand-out-internationally-for-their-pessimism-about-the-nations-political-system\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/04\/15\/americans-stand-out-internationally-for-their-pessimism-about-the-nations-political-system\/\">Americans stand out internationally for their pessimism about the nation\u2019s political system<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Note: Here are the survey <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_questionnaire.pdf\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_questionnaire.pdf\">questions used for this analysis<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_topline.pdf\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_topline.pdf\">detailed responses<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_methodology.pdf\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_methodology.pdf\">survey methodology<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Most Americans say democracy in the United States used to be a good example for other countries to follow but has not been in recent years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":658,"featured_media":299548,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"sub_headline":"","sub_title":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"apple_news_api_pending":"","relatedPosts":[],"datacite_doi":"","datacite_doi_citation":"","_prc_seo_qr_attachment_id":0,"spoken_article_player_enabled":true,"displayBylines":true,"footnotes":"","prc_watchers":[],"_prc_fork_parent":0,"_prc_fork_status":"","_prc_active_fork":0},"categories":[60,77,420],"bylines":[2745,937],"collection":[],"datasets":[],"_post_visibility":[],"formats":[467],"_fund_pool":[],"languages":[],"regions-countries":[515],"research-teams":[525],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-299511","short-read","type-short-read","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-democracy","category-trust-in-government","category-u-s-democracy","bylines-jonathan-schulman","bylines-richard-wike","formats-short-read","regions-countries-united-states","research-teams-global"],"label":"Short Read","post_parent":0,"word_count":1620,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2026\/04\/15\/multiple-indicators-show-a-decline-in-the-health-of-americas-democracy-in-2025\/","art_direction":{"A1":{"id":299548,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png","url":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png?w=564&h=317&crop=1","width":564,"height":317,"chartArt":false,"caption":"Virginia voters cast their ballots at Robious Elementary School on Nov. 4, 2025. (Win McNamee\/Getty Images)"},"A2":{"id":299548,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png","url":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false,"caption":"Virginia voters cast their ballots at Robious Elementary School on Nov. 4, 2025. (Win McNamee\/Getty Images)"},"A3":{"id":299548,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png","url":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png?w=194&h=110&crop=1","width":194,"height":110,"chartArt":false,"caption":"Virginia voters cast their ballots at Robious Elementary School on Nov. 4, 2025. (Win McNamee\/Getty Images)"},"A4":{"id":299548,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png","url":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png?w=268&h=151&crop=1","width":268,"height":151,"chartArt":false,"caption":"Virginia voters cast their ballots at Robious Elementary School on Nov. 4, 2025. (Win McNamee\/Getty Images)"},"XL":{"id":299548,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png","url":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png?w=720&h=405&crop=1","width":720,"height":405,"chartArt":false,"caption":"Virginia voters cast their ballots at Robious Elementary School on Nov. 4, 2025. (Win McNamee\/Getty Images)"},"social":{"id":299548,"rawUrl":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png","url":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2026\/04\/SR_26.04.15_rating-us-democracy_featured.png?w=1200&h=628&crop=1","width":1200,"height":628,"chartArt":false,"caption":"Virginia voters cast their ballots at Robious Elementary School on Nov. 4, 2025. 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