Giving Compass' Take:

• Ariana Rodriguez-Gitler at Pew Research Center writes why globally, more people are unhappy with the state of democracy in their countries rather than satisfied. 

• How can funders work together to support and promote more effective democracies? 

Here's how to fund participatory democracy. 


Anger at political elites, economic dissatisfaction and anxiety about rapid social changes have fueled political upheaval in regions around the world in recent years. Anti-establishment leaders, parties and movements have emerged on both the right and left of the political spectrum, in some cases challenging fundamental norms and institutions of liberal democracy. Organizations from Freedom House to the Economist Intelligence Unit to V-Demhave documented global declines in the health of democracy.

As previous Pew Research Center surveys have illustrated, ideas at the core of liberal democracy remain popular among global publics, but commitment to democracy can nonetheless be weak. Multiple factors contribute to this lack of commitment, including perceptions about how well democracy is functioning. And as findings from a new Pew Research Center survey show, views about the performance of democratic systems are decidedly negative in many nations. Across 27 countries polled, a median of 51% are dissatisfied with how democracy is working in their country; just 45% are satisfied.

Read the full article about people being unsatisfied with how democracy is working by Ariana Rodriguez-Gitler at Pew Research Center.