U.S. No Longer Seen as a Shining Example of Democracy

Saturday’s failed assassination attempt against Donald Trump not only shocked the world, but also added a tragic chapter to a 2024 presidential race that was already marred in turmoil and controversy. First there was Trump’s conviction in the hush money case, which makes him the first convicted felon to run for president as a major party candidate. Then there was Biden’s debate debacle, which sent shockwaves through the Democratic Party, as large parts of the American public seem to have lost faith in the president’s ability to serve a second term. And now this, another eruption of political violence, three and a half years after the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The events of the past few years are just the culmination of a trend that started long before: the increasing polarization of the political landscape. Reinforced by social media echo chambers and politicians seemingly more bound to their own agenda than to the truth or the good of the country, the U.S. seems more divided than ever, making compromise – a key component of a working democracy – virtually impossible.

All this hasn’t gone unnoticed outside the United States, where the country, once a role model for democracy, is viewed in an increasingly negative light. According to the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Survey, the U.S. has lost its status as the shining light of democracy with the majority of respondents from 34 countries saying that the U.S. democracy is no longer or has never been a good example for other countries to follow. As our chart shows, respondents from France and Mexico were particularly critical of the U.S., as nearly 40 percent of respondents from both countries said that U.S. democracy has never been the shining example it's often made out to be. In most countries, the United States’ reputation as a democracy has suffered in recent years, with more than 60 percent of respondents from Germany, the UK, Canada or Japan saying that the U.S. used to be a good example but hasn’t been in recent years.