Democracy - Our World in Data

What is democracy broadly understood to mean?

• Rule by the people

• Rule by the wealthiest

• Rule by a single leader

• Rule by a small group

In practice, how is democracy often defined?

• People living without laws

• People being ruled by a monarch

• People choosing their leaders in free and fair elections

• People having additional individual rights

What additional aspect do some definitions of democracy include beyond elections?

• People having no rights

• People serving in the military

• People having additional individual rights and being protected from the state

• People paying taxes

What is one benefit of democracy mentioned in the text?

• Democratic countries are always at war

• Democratic countries have no laws

• Democratic countries foster more peaceful conduct within and between them

• Democratic countries grow slower

How has the world changed over the last two centuries according to the text?

• The world has stopped holding elections

• The world has become much more democratic

• The world has become entirely autocratic

• The world has seen no change in governance

What type of political system was most common in the late 18th century?

• Electoral autocracies

• Closed autocracies

• Liberal democracies

• Electoral democracies

What distinguishes a liberal democracy from an electoral democracy?

• Liberal democracy includes individual and minority rights, equality before the law, and constrained executive actions

• Electoral democracy is ruled by a monarch

• Electoral democracy has no individual rights

• Liberal democracy has no elections

According to the text, what is the current global split of political systems?

• No political systems exist

• Mostly democracies

• Mostly autocracies

• Evenly split between autocracies and democracies

What is the 'Regimes of the World' data used for?

• To identify the political systems of countries

• To measure economic success

• To track animal populations

• To classify types of desserts

What recent trend regarding democracy is mentioned?

• The world has recently become less democratic

• The world has recently abolished all forms of government

• The world has recently seen no changes in governance

• The world has recently transitioned to a single global government