Thread by @Yascha_Mounk

When Roberto Foa and I first argued that citizens had become more critical of democracy, a long debate ensued.

Now, there's new data indicating there really is a deep democratic crisis. Around the world, satisfaction with democracy stands at a record low.
theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…

In our preview of the report for @TheAtlantic, we show three main findings.

First, satisfaction for democracy has notably declined if you look democracies in general.

For the first time in the time series, it is markedly above 50%.

@TheAtlantic Second, satisfaction with democracy declined especially sharply among those affluent and longstanding democracies that were supposed to be especially safe.

2 out of 3 citizens of developed democracies were once satisfied with their democratic system. Today, it's less than half.

@TheAtlantic Third, in the eyes of its citizens America really was exceptional once upon a time: satisfaction with democracy was very high.

Since 2008, dissatisfaction with democracy has grown very quickly. Now, for the first time, most Americans are dissatisfied with their political system.

@TheAtlantic Please be sure to read our whole article at The Atlantic.

And if you want to learn more about this topic, read the excellent report Roberto and his colleagues at Cambridge University's Center for the Future of Democracy have just published.

[End.]

bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/media/uploads/…