A recent Ipsos poll of 9,800 voters across the United States, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Croatia, the Netherlands, and Poland reveals widespread concern about the health of democracy in Western nations. Overall, 45 % of respondents say democracy is “broken,” and seven of the nine countries surveyed show dissatisfaction with how their democratic systems are functioning. The primary worries cited include disinformation, corruption, a lack of accountability for politicians, and the rising popularity of extremist parties.
France registers the highest level of discontent, with 60 % of those surveyed expressing dissatisfaction, followed by the United States (53 %), the United Kingdom (51 %) and Spain (51 %). In contrast, Sweden and Poland stand out as the only two nations where a majority of respondents remain confident in their democratic institutions.
Feelings of under‑representation are also pronounced. In both the United Kingdom and Croatia, only 23 % of participants believe their governments represent them effectively. Moreover, except for Sweden, a clear majority across the surveyed countries fear that risks to self‑governance will increase over the next five years.
Gideon Skinner, senior director of UK politics at Ipsos, highlighted the breadth of these concerns, noting that many people feel disconnected from their national governments and that there is a strong desire for radical change in most countries.
These findings emerge amid criticism from some leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, who argue that Western democracies are ignoring public opinion and eroding democratic values. Critics point to actions such as labeling certain political parties as extremist and disqualifying candidates from elections as evidence of a drift toward authoritarianism. As the debate over the state of democracy in the West continues, it remains uncertain how these concerns will be addressed and what effect they will have on the future of democratic governance.
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