United States seen as a bigger threat to democracy than Russia or China

The United States faces an uphill task presenting itself as the chief guardian of global democracy. A recent poll shows that around the world people consider it a bigger threat to democracy as compared to Russia and China.

The findings come in a poll commissioned by the Alliance of Democracies Foundation among 50,000 respondents in 53 countries.

The survey was carried out by the Latana polling company between February and April. Therefore, hangover effect of Donald Trump’s ‘America first’ foreign policy may linger in the findings.

In perhaps the most startling finding, nearly half (44%) of respondents in the 53 countries surveyed are concerned that the US threatens democracy in their country; fear of Chinese influence is by contrast 38%, and fear of Russian influence is lowest at 28%.

The findings may in part reflect views on US comparative power, but they show neither the US, nor the G7, can simply assume the mantle of defenders of democracy.

Since last year, the perception of US influence as a threat to democracy around the world has increased significantly. This increase is particularly high in Germany and China.

The countries still overwhelmingly negative about US influence are Russia and China, followed by European democracies.

Around 81% of people around the world say it is important to have democracy in their country. Only a little more than half (53%) say their country is actually democratic today – even in democracies.

In almost every country surveyed save Saudi Arabia and Egypt limits to free speech are seen as less of a threat to democracy than inequality.

Half of the people surveyed (48%) say the power of big tech companies, as opposed to the simple existence of social media, is a threat to democracy in their country.

Among democracies, the US is the most concerned about big tech (62%), but wariness is growing in many countries compared with last year, reflected in broad support for greater regulation of social media.

Voters in Norway, Switzerland and Sweden are most confident their country is democratic, but so are the Chinese, where 71% agree that China has the right amount of democracy. In Russia only 33% think their country is democratic.

The findings will also make disturbing reading for the eastern European democracies such as Hungary where only 31% of voters think their country is democratic – on a par with findings in Nigeria, Iran, Poland and Venezuela.

This poll shows that democracy is still alive in people’s hearts and minds. They want to see their countries become more democratic.

The positive support for an Alliance of Democracies, whether the UK’s D10 initiative or President Biden’s Summit for Democracy, shows that people want more cooperation to push back against the autocrats.