At the beginning of 2026, the global governance system faces unprecedented challenges. Blind faith in power, the pursuit of national priorities, unilateral bullying, and the law of the jungle are exacerbating instability and uncertainty worldwide. 

Amid this chaos, the issues of authority, effectiveness, and representation within the global governance system are being magnified. A public survey conducted by CGTN over two consecutive years, involving about 31,000 respondents from 52 countries worldwide, reveals a widespread belief that the current global governance system urgently needs reform. Determining what kind of global governance system to build and how to reform and improve it have become pressing challenges confronting the international community.

At present, the international community is facing growing deficits in peace, development, security, and trust. The inadequacy and mismatch of the global governance system have aroused widespread concern among respondents worldwide. Respondents widely believe that the purposes and principles of the UN Charter have not been effectively fulfilled, the representation and voice of developing countries have not been fully reflected, the authority of global governance has been eroded, and representation is severely inadequate.

In the 2025 survey, 70.6 percent of global respondents believe that the global governance system dominated by developed countries has failed, expressing strong dissatisfaction with its failure to fully assume responsibilities and obligations in international affairs. This figure is essentially unchanged from 2024 (70.9 percent), while dissatisfaction in the 23 surveyed countries has risen to varying degrees over the past two years. In addition, respondents believe that the main challenges currently facing global governance include the escalation of regional geopolitical risks, the inequitable distribution of responsibilities between developed and developing countries, and the unilateral, illegal, and hegemonic behavior of certain nations. With regard to the international rules currently formulated under the leadership of developed countries, 71.6 percent of global respondents give a negative assessment of their fairness; 73.4 percent believe that the existing international rules serve the interests of only a few countries or groups.

It is also worth noting that respondents agree that the United Nations' operational efficiency, emergency response capabilities, and transparency need improvement, and that the effectiveness of global governance urgently requires enhancement. In the 2025 survey, 72.9 percent of global respondents believe that the UN's authority and status are being challenged. Among respondents from Global South countries, the share is 77.5 percent, 10.6 percentage points higher than that of respondents from developed countries. Another 62 percent of global respondents express trust in the UN, a figure close to that of 2024 (62.7 percent). However, trust levels declined in 18 of the surveyed countries.

How to reform and improve the global governance system has become a major concern for the international community, with countries around the world expecting more Chinese solutions. In September 2025, China proposed a Global Governance Initiative, and global respondents have positively evaluated the initiative's core principles as well as China's contributions to global governance in recent years. 

The survey shows that 74.8 percent of respondents from Global South countries recognize the concept of a community with a shared future for humanity, while the recognition rate among respondents from developed countries is 61.1 percent. Meanwhile, the global governance concept of "extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits" proposed by China has also received high recognition from the majority of global respondents: 89 percent believe that the common values of all humanity—peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom—should be promoted; 86.9 percent agree that countries should enhance the effectiveness of global governance, deepen practical cooperation, and jointly advance global development; 82.6 percent agree that global governance should adhere to a people-centered development approach; and 77.3 percent believe that efforts should focus on addressing unequal and insufficient development among countries to achieve balanced global development and shared prosperity. Among respondents from Global South countries, approval rates for the above issues are all more than 4 percentage points higher than the global average.

Moreover, 69 percent of global respondents acknowledged China's prominent contributions to global governance, with many particularly impressed by its efforts to promote the development of Global South countries. Approval rates for China's contributions to three key areas, namely providing financial and technical support, infrastructure development, and sharing development experience, are 75.5 percent, 74.7 percent, and 73.1 percent, respectively. Additionally, 67.1 percent of global respondents expect China to play a greater role in advancing the improvement and reform of the global governance system.

The above survey was conducted jointly by CGTN and Renmin University of China through the Institute of New Era International Communication for two consecutive years. The surveyed countries included major developed nations and Global South countries. All respondents were ordinary citizens aged 18 and older, and the sample was aligned with each country's census data on age and gender distribution.