Explore global opinions on political systems by country Select a country to see how its people responded. United States % in the United States saying each of the following systems of government would be a good or bad way to govern the country. Very/Somewhat bad Very/Somewhat good REPRESENTATIVE 13% DEMOCRACY ? 86% DIRECT DEMOCRACY ? 31% 67% RULE BY EXPERTS ? 58% 40% RULE BY A STRONG 76% LEADER ? 22% RULE BY MILITARY ? 83% 17% In the United States: 51majority (87%) of Vietnamese people express support for representative democracy, while another big majority (73%) supports direct democracy and 67% back a system in which experts, not elected officials, make decisions according to what they think is best for the country. Of the ve different forms of governance tested by the survey, only one rule by a strong leader without judicial or parliamentary interference draws more opposition (47%) than support (42%) in Vietnam. Support for a strong leader who is unchecked by the judiciary or parliament is highest in India. While 55% of people in India view rule by a strong leader as a good way to govern, this form of governance remains less popular than direct democracy (viewed favorably by 76% of respondents), representative democracy (75%) and rule by experts (65%). Just 6% of people in Mexico are satisfied with the way democracy is working in their country, the smallest share of any country surveyed. That compares with a median of 46% among all countries surveyed. Roughly nine-in-ten Mexicans (93%) say they are not satisfied with the way their democracy is working. In the United States: 51% trust the national government to do what is right for the United States . 46% are satisfied with the way democracy is working in the United States . Note: For more information about specific question wording and results, see the topline questionnaire. EMBED (I) REPORT DATA PEW RESEARCH CENTER Here are six key ndings: About nine-in-ten Swedes (92%) say representative democracy is a good way of governing their country, the highest share of any country in the survey. A majority of Swedes (57%) also say direct democracy in which citizens, not also say direct democracy in which citizens, not elected ofcials, vote directly on major issues is a good way to govern. People in Sweden are among the most likely of any in the survey to say they are satised with the way democracy is working in their country: About eightinten Swedes (79%) hold this View, the same share as in India and Tanzania. Germans are overwhelmingly opposed to rule by the military or by a strong leader. More than nine-in-ten are opposed to military rule (95%) or rule by a strong leader who can make decisions without interference from parliament or the courts (93%). Even among those on the ideological right and those with less education two groups who tend to voice more support for military or autocratic rule in other countries there is little backing for these two forms of government in Germany. Just 13% of Germans on the ideological right say a political system with an unchecked leader is a good way to govern, and just 4% of those with less education see military rule as a good form of government. People in Vietnam are the most likely to support military rule among the countries surveyed. Seven-in-ten Vietnamese say rule by the military would be a good way to govern. But a larger majority (87%) of Vietnamese people express support OCTOBER 30,2017 0 y m [9 a How countries around the world View democracy, military rule and other political systems BY JOHN GRAMLICH This article is also available in: Deutsch paol and franga_i.s. A 38-nation Pew Research Center survey conducted this spring found reasons for optimism as well as concern about the future of democracy around the world. In every nation polled, more than half said representative democracy is a very or somewhat good way to run their country. But the survey also found openness, to varying degrees, to some nondemocratic forms of government. Use our interactive feature below to compare views of political systems in each nation surveyed. It's followed by six ndings the Center found especially striking. Despite their pessimism about democracy in practice, majorities of Mexicans still view direct democracy and representative democracy as good ways to govern (62% and 58%, respectively). About half (53%) say the same about rule by experts, while most Mexicans (67%) have a negative view of rule by a strong leader. When it comes to military rule, more Mexicans oppose than support the idea (52% versus 42%). Trust in the national government is highest in Tanzania. About nine-in-ten people in Tanzania (89%) trust their government to do what is right for their country, including 48% who say they have \"a lot\" of trust. Globally, a median of just 14% express \"a lot\" of trust in their national government to do what is right. And in 10 countries Chile, Spain, Peru, France, Brazil, Lebanon, Mexico, South Korea, Greece and Italy 5% or less of respondents express this level of condence in their national government. Topics Politics & Policy, Democracy, Authoritarianism, Trust in Government, Trust, Facts & Democracy, International Political Values 05519