Democracy is in decline in the West, not India. Here's what Pew 2025 survey found
Among the 23 countries surveyed, 74% of Indian respondents said they were satisfied with the way democracy is functioning in their country, compared to just 23% who expressed dissatisfaction.
Business Today Desk
- Jul 7, 2025,
- Updated Jul 7, 2025 9:22 PM IST
At a time when most advanced economies are grappling with rising public discontent over democratic governance, India stands out with one of the highest levels of democratic satisfaction globally, according to the Pew Research Center's Spring 2025 Global Attitudes Survey.
Among the 23 countries surveyed, 74% of Indian respondents said they were satisfied with the way democracy is functioning in the country, compared to just 23% who expressed dissatisfaction. This places India just behind Sweden (75%) and well ahead of other democracies like Germany (61%), Indonesia (66%), and Australia (61%).
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In contrast, traditional Western democracies are seeing far lower levels of public satisfaction. Only 37% of Americans and 48% of Brits reported being satisfied with the state of their democracy, while Canada stood at 60%. In France, Italy, and Greece, satisfaction levels fell to 33%, 33%, and 19% respectively.
Across the 12 high-income countries that Pew has tracked since 2017 - including the US, UK, France, Germany, Japan, and Canada - a median of 64% of adults now say they are dissatisfied with the way democracy is working, while only 35% are satisfied. That's a steep drop from 2017, when satisfaction and dissatisfaction were evenly split at 49% each.
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"Satisfaction returned to this level during the COVID-19 pandemic but has declined further in the years since,” Pew noted in its analysis, pointing out that the erosion in satisfaction does not necessarily mean people are turning away from democratic values. "At the same time, many are frustrated with political elites or feel their views are not truly represented in government."
The report also highlights a clear link between economic sentiment and satisfaction with democracy. "Countries where large shares of the public say the economy is in good shape also tend to have large shares who are satisfied with their democracy," the survey observed.
India, along with Indonesia, Mexico, the Netherlands, and Sweden, was cited as a country where "people are relatively happy with both their democracy and their economy."
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Meanwhile, countries like France, Greece, Japan, and South Korea reflected widespread dissatisfaction on both fronts. Across all 23 countries surveyed, the median satisfaction with democracy stands at 42%, with 58% dissatisfied.
At a time when most advanced economies are grappling with rising public discontent over democratic governance, India stands out with one of the highest levels of democratic satisfaction globally, according to the Pew Research Center's Spring 2025 Global Attitudes Survey.
Among the 23 countries surveyed, 74% of Indian respondents said they were satisfied with the way democracy is functioning in the country, compared to just 23% who expressed dissatisfaction. This places India just behind Sweden (75%) and well ahead of other democracies like Germany (61%), Indonesia (66%), and Australia (61%).
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In contrast, traditional Western democracies are seeing far lower levels of public satisfaction. Only 37% of Americans and 48% of Brits reported being satisfied with the state of their democracy, while Canada stood at 60%. In France, Italy, and Greece, satisfaction levels fell to 33%, 33%, and 19% respectively.
Across the 12 high-income countries that Pew has tracked since 2017 - including the US, UK, France, Germany, Japan, and Canada - a median of 64% of adults now say they are dissatisfied with the way democracy is working, while only 35% are satisfied. That's a steep drop from 2017, when satisfaction and dissatisfaction were evenly split at 49% each.
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"Satisfaction returned to this level during the COVID-19 pandemic but has declined further in the years since,” Pew noted in its analysis, pointing out that the erosion in satisfaction does not necessarily mean people are turning away from democratic values. "At the same time, many are frustrated with political elites or feel their views are not truly represented in government."
The report also highlights a clear link between economic sentiment and satisfaction with democracy. "Countries where large shares of the public say the economy is in good shape also tend to have large shares who are satisfied with their democracy," the survey observed.
India, along with Indonesia, Mexico, the Netherlands, and Sweden, was cited as a country where "people are relatively happy with both their democracy and their economy."
Advertisement
Meanwhile, countries like France, Greece, Japan, and South Korea reflected widespread dissatisfaction on both fronts. Across all 23 countries surveyed, the median satisfaction with democracy stands at 42%, with 58% dissatisfied.
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