CGTN Poll: 'American-style democracy' is sick

Though the United States has long praised itself as a "straight A student" when it comes to democracy, the surveys conducted by China Media Group, CGTN and Renmin University of China through the New Era International Communication Research Institute show that 71.1 percent of global respondents believe that the U.S. political system runs counter to the core idea of democracy. Another 70.4 percent of respondents oppose the idea that the U.S. is "a role model for democracy." Instead, they view "American-style democracy" as a "sick democracy."

'American-style democracy' reduced to tool of money

The essence of democracy is that sovereignty resides in the people. However, the United States, which claims itself as a "beacon of democracy," shines the light of democracy on the rich minority. In the surveys, more than 80 percent of global respondents consider that the election system of "one-person, one-vote" should be an important feature of "American-style democracy." However, 72.5 percent of them find that the will of the people is only remembered during the election but is forgotten by politicians after the election.

Of the respondents, 74.5 believe that the "American-style democracy" tends to serve the wealthy few than the public. Another 68 percent of respondents say that "American-style democracy" is a rich men's game based on capitalism.

'Donkey vs Elephant' tears the society apart

"American-style democracy" not only differs from the concept of democracy, but also is hard to realize in practice. The so-called "politics of checks and balances" that the U.S. has always boasted of has been reduced to "politics of veto" during the struggle and conflict between the Democratic and Republican parties. The data showed that only 24.8 percent of global respondents agree that there is more cooperation than confrontation between the two parties in the U.S. Instead, up to 85 percent of respondents say that the partisan battle in the U.S. has exacerbated the divisions in American society, and 84.5 percent of them believe it has exacerbated serious flaws in the U.S. political system.

The surveys find that 82.6 percent of respondents worry that U.S. bipartisan battle has affected its judicial system, and 79.9 percent of the respondents believe that the battle has also deepened the divisions and contradictions between the U.S. executive and legislative systems. These two figures are even higher among North American respondents, at 86.6 percent and 80.8 percent, respectively.

Dysfunctional governance rips off the fig-leaf of 'American-style democracy'

In the opinion of respondents around the world, the most important element of democracy is to "guarantee the basic right to life" (40.7 percent), followed by "guaranteeing equality for all" (29.3 percent), "developing the economy" (29 percent)," "improving living standards" (28.4 percent) and "maintaining social stability and social order"(25.6 percent). However, "one-person, one-vote" (12.4 percent) and "checks and balances on power" (10 percent), which the "American-style democracy" boasts, rank 10th and 13th.

In addition, 88.3 percent of global respondents hold the belief that democracy should reflect the will of the people, serve the people, and should be subject to people's supervision. Of the respondents, 81.5 percent people pointed out that democracy should cover all aspects of people's lives and that all public affairs can be solved through democratic means.

"American-style democracy" can hardly safeguard social equity in practices, leading to the increasingly serious dysfunctional governance in the U.S. In the surveys, 77.5 percent of global respondents believe that the gap between the rich and the poor in the U.S. continues to widen. In the surveys, 85.6 percent of respondents expressed that the current U.S. political system fails to solve the problem of gun violence. Some 74.3 percent of them consider that the drug epidemic in the U.S. is accelerating, and 77.1 percent perceive that there is systematic racial discrimination in the U.S.

'Freedom of speech' in name only

Free speech is the hallmark of "American-style democracy," but the "hallmark" is actually serving financial interests and party politics. According to the polls, 88.6 percent of respondents condemn that a part of U.S. politicians and media have taken advantage of loopholes in the democratic system to spread false information, with 65.2 percent of respondents believing that the U.S. media, though claiming to be independent from politics and aiming to serve freedom and truth, actually serves specific interest groups. As many as 92 percent of global respondents say the U.S. media's reports are not objective and fair, and 84.1 percent of them believe that the U.S. media has little credibility and fails to promote democracy and freedom in society.

A total of 39,315 respondents from 32 countries around the world participated in three global opinion surveys, including the survey of "Impressions of America." Respondents come from developed countries such as the United States, Germany, France, Japan, Singapore and Spain, as well as from developing countries such as South Africa, Nigeria, Brazil, India, Indonesia and Argentina.

(Cover: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's shadow is seen on the backdrop as he makes closing remarks at the end of the Democracy Summit at the Convention Center in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 30, 2023. /CFP)