Citizens in Advanced Economies Want Significant Changes to Their Political Systems

As citizens around the world continue to grapple with a global pandemic and the changes it has brought to their everyday lives, many are also expressing a desire for political change. In a report released in October, the Pew Research Center surveyed 17 advanced economies and found that a median of 56% believe their political system needs major changes or needs to be completely reformed. There is also a strong desire for economic reform in many of the publics surveyed. In Italy, Spain and Greece—three countries where the economic mood has been mostly dismal for over a decade—at least 8 in 10 of those polled believe their economic systems need major changes or a complete overhaul. In comparison, there is less demand for changes to health care systems. But the U.S. and Greece are clear outliers: About three-quarters of Americans and Greeks say their health care system needs major changes or needs to be completely reformed.

This article was previously published on pewresearch.org and appears in this issue of Trust Magazine.