Is social media good for democracy? A new report from the Pew Research Center says, “Yes.”
Social media platforms provide public access to information and serve as an avenue for political activism. However, some say it is “harmful to democracy.” But of the respondents in twenty-seven countries surveyed, a majority of those from twenty countries say social media is good for their democracy.
Nigeria and Mexico ranked the highest for citizens believing social media has a positive effect on democracy (77%). On the other hand, the U.S. (34%) is the least likely to see social media as a good thing when it comes to democracy. Notably, the belief in the U.S. is mostly nonpartisan (Republicans/Republican-leaning independents, 74%; Democrats/Democrat-leaning independents, 57%). France (43%) and the Netherlands (44%) round out the top three countries that see social media as a bad thing.
The views vary based on age. Younger adults in fourteen countries are likelier to say social media is good for their democracy.
In terms of education, adults in 13 countries with more education are likely to see social media as a good thing for their democracy compared to respondents with less education. Regarding income, the study also found that higher wage earners were more likely to see the positive effects of social media on their democracy compared to respondents with lower incomes.
“Those who use social media are significantly more likely than non-users to say that social media has benefited democracy in their country,” Sneha Gubbala and Sarah Austin, both research assistants focusing on global attitudes research, write. “In every country surveyed, there is a difference of at least 10 points between social media users and non-users on this question. Non-users, however, are also less likely to offer an opinion on this question in most places.”
To read the full report, click here. For the survey’s methodology, click here.
Director of The Raceless Gospel Initiative, an associate editor, host of the Good Faith Media podcast, “The Raceless Gospel” and author of Take Me to the Water: The Raceless Gospel as Baptismal Pedagogy for a Desegregated Church.
