Across the Globe, People Increasingly Say Social Media Is Harming Democracy
a day ago
- A 37-nation Pew Research Center survey shows that in most countries with trend data, the share of people who believe social media is bad for democracy has increased significantly since 2022 or 2023.
- Wealthier nations like the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the U.K. are more likely to view social media as harmful to democracy, though Israel and Singapore are exceptions.
- In many lower-GDP countries, such as Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Thailand, roughly three-in-four or more say social media has been good for democracy.
- Young adults (ages 18–34) are more likely than older adults to see social media's impact on democracy as positive, with large age gaps in countries like the U.K., India, and Ghana.
- A median of 77% across surveyed countries say internet and social media make people more informed about current events, while 79% say it makes them easier to manipulate with false information.
- Perceptions that social media amplifies political divisions have grown by double-digit percentages in Poland, Germany, France, Japan, Spain, the U.K., Hungary, and Malaysia since 2022.
- Overall, a median of 55% of adults across the 37 nations think social media has been good for democracy, while 35% say it has been bad.