News - World: A major survey across Europe and North America has revealed that nearly half of Western voters believe their “democratic systems” are failing, amid mounting fears over extremism, corruption, and disinformation.

Conducted by Ipsos, a Paris-based multinational market research and consulting firm, across nine countries, including the US, the UK and seven EU member states, the survey, whose results were out on Friday, showed that around 45 percent of the voters were dissatisfied with how “democracy” was functioning.

Majorities in nearly every nation warned that the next five years could bring even deeper instability.

Gideon Skinner, senior director of UK politics at Ipsos, told American outlet Politico that the findings revealed a pervasive sense of abandonment.

Voters who identified with the political extremes, left or right, were the most likely to say Western “democracy” was failing – a warning sign that polarization was continuing to hollow out the center ground.

“People feel unrepresented, particularly by their national governments,” he said, pointing to growing alarm over fake news, extremism, disinformation and a lingering sense that politicians faced little accountability.

“In most countries there is a desire for radical change,” he said.

Political turmoil has fed dissatisfaction in France and the Netherlands, where collapsing coalitions, budget crises, and repeated electoral deadlock have eroded public confidence, the report added.

Across the nine states surveyed, not a single one recorded a majority of voters, who felt their national government represented them well.

The UK and Croatia ranked lowest, with just 23 percent of voters saying their governments reflected their views.

A growing share of voters also believed Western “democracy” had worsened over the past five years.

In the United States, still reeling from the political upheaval of recent election cycles, 61 percent said the system had deteriorated since 2020.

Anxiety runs even deeper in parts of Europe. Eighty-six percent of French voters and 80 percent of Spanish voters feared that the next five years would be even more perilous for their democratic systems.

Voters identified the biggest threats as corruption, political unaccountability, extremist movements and disinformation, echoing the European Commission’s recent warnings about foreign interference.

A strong majority supported measures to reinforce democratic resilience, from tougher anti-corruption laws and court independence to enhanced civic education and limits on hate speech and fake news online.
Source: Press TV