India second most satisfying democracy for citizens: Pew Research

NEW DELHI,  (IANS): India, the world’s largest democracy, ranks second among nations as 74 per cent of people here feel satisfied about the working of the system of representative governance, according to Pew Research Centre (PRC) in a survey available on Saturday.

Citing India as a shining example at the time of a gloomy public outlook towards democracy in 12-high income nations, the “Spring 2025 Global Attitudes Survey” of PRC said that the nation of over 99 crore voters is ranked just behind Sweden (75 per cent) in the survey covering 23 countries.

The survey’s findings also show that economic perceptions are an important factor behind people feeling satisfied with the functioning of democracy in their countries.

“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,” said PRC, putting India in the coveted club of five nations where public perception about good functioning democracy and economy is high.

India, Indonesia, Mexico, the Netherlands and Sweden are examples of countries where people are relatively happy with both their democracy and their economy, said PRC.

In Indonesia, 66 per cent of the population is satisfied with democracy. In Mexico, 51per cent of the citizens are satisfied with democracy while in the Netherlands the figure stands at 60 per cent.

Sharing other findings, the PRC said that. since 2024. satisfaction with democracy has decreased in five countries (Israel, Japan, Kenya, Poland and South Korea) and increased in five others (Canada, Germany, South Africa, the UK and the US).

Across all 23 countries surveyed, a median of 58 per cent of adults are dissatisfied with how their democracy is working, while 42 per cent are satisfied, said the survey.

In 12 high-income countries – Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the US – a median of 64 per cent of adults say they are dissatisfied with the way their democracy is working, while a median of 35 per cent are satisfied.

Four of the countries where satisfaction grew held national elections between our 2024 and 2025 surveys. In each one, views changed among partisan groups in ways that reflect election results: In general, supporters of a party that won an election, or sometimes a party that exceeded expectations in an election, became happier with the state of democracy.

In the United Kingdom, the Labour Party achieved a majority in Parliament, ending 14 years of Conservative Party rule. Satisfaction with democracy rose significantly among Labour supporters, while it is basically unchanged among Conservatives, said PRC.

In the US, Republicans maintained their majority in the House of Representatives while also gaining a Senate majority and winning the presidency. Since PRC’s 2024 survey, Republicans’ satisfaction with democracy has increased significantly, while Democrats’ satisfaction dropped significantly, it said.