Global views on democracy: Losing faith in the democratic ideal?

On November 3 at AEI, experts convened to celebrate Pew Research Center’s new report on global public opinions of democracy.

In his introductory remarks, Pew Research Center’s Richard Wike outlined the main findings of the report, which collected data from 38 countries to explore international support of democracy and attitudes toward nondemocratic forms of government. He explained that while the report’s data suggested broad support for representative and direct democracy worldwide, significant minorities endorsed nondemocratic alternatives.

The Brookings Institution’s Robert Kagan disagreed with the concept of “democratic backsliding” and argued that the notion of states moving singularly toward democratic governance represents a selective view of history. The Center for American Progress’ Vikram Singh added that democracy can be threatened by those who appear to support it, noting that authoritarian regimes often initially come into power with populist democratic elections.

Open Society Foundations’ Stephen Rickard emphasized that faith in the democratic process is strongest in wealthier countries and that populations inevitably look for alternative forms of government if they feel their quality of life could be improved. AEI’s Danielle Pletka concluded that the desire to be free is universal and that democracy is a necessary but insufficient component to reaching such a goal.

Event Description
Democracy appears to be in retreat globally. Over the past few years, countries with fledgling multiparty electoral systems have incrementally deteriorated, giving way to governments that more closely resemble authoritarian regimes. Established democracies such as Turkey also have witnessed sharp declines in the rule of law and adherence to democratic values. More troubling still is how rising revisionist governments — particularly Moscow and Beijing — have undermined democratic processes worldwide, aggravating an overall loss of faith in democracy.

In a new study, Pew Research Center examines these trends with data from 38 countries to explore global public opinion of democracy and attitudes toward nondemocratic forms of government. Join AEI and the Pew Research Center for a discussion on today’s greatest challenges to democracy and what can be done to preserve and strengthen the democratic ideal.

Participants:
Robert Kagan, Brookings Institution
Stephen Rickard, Open Society Foundation
Vikram Singh, Center for American Progress
Richard Wike, Pew Research Center
Moderator:
Danielle Pletka, AEI