Many around the world feel the system is broken. Can we do anything?
Over the past few years, there has been a string of populist victories. From Brexit in 2015 to Trump’s victory in 2016, they have been the canary in the coal mine for surging anti-establishment sentiments worldwide.
Following these two earth-shattering wins, anti-establishment candidates continued their victory march in places like Mexico, Brazil, France, Poland, and Hungary, to name just a few. These political movements cut across party lines—with candidates emerging on the right and left who adhere to these ideals. What’s underling all these disparate candidates, parties, and simmering political rage? One simple but potent idea: the system is broken.
Ipsos runs a global index to measure this phenomenon, how it’s shifted overtime, and what might take the edge off some of the more hard-lined and prevalent beliefs here.
Below are five charts that explore our anti-establishment moment.
- Our Anti-establishment world. Around the world, majorities, on average, are more likely to agree with the populist sentiments undergirding the system is broken index. Many agree that their country’s economy is rigged to advantage the rich, that traditional parties and politicians don’t care about them, and that experts don’t understand their lives. Where does that leave these people? It leaves some willing to accept strong leaders that will break the rules and norms.
- System is Broken and Disorganization. Unsurprisingly, countries where corruption runs rampant are much more likely to feel that their countries system is broken. “Elites,” “experts,” and “politicians” who often are imagined—real or not—to exacerbate and contribute to corruption can’t be trusted. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
- Dip in Anti-establishment. Yet, even as majorities still feel like their countries' system is broken, that sentiment has softened worldwide since 2016. That’s true in regions like Latin America, where most feel their systems are broken, and North America.
- Elections as the Salve. Elections act as a pressure for these populist attitudes and feelings. In countries where an election occurred, fewer feel their system is broken. Is democracy working as it should?
- Non-partisanship of system is broken. Even as elections can ease these worries, many still feel, on the whole, that their system is broken. There is bipartisan agreement here in the U.S. The surge of populist candidates on the left and right reflects this wide reaching sentiment among the public. Where do we go from here?
For the short-to-midterm future, anti-establishment politics and candidates will be with us. To date, this crop of anti-establishment politicians and parties around the world has reshaped countries, geopolitics, and the economy in their image. We can expect more to come. Understanding the system-is-broken sentiment will be important to navigating this anti-establishment era.
