A letter to democracy

Dear Democracy,

How are you holding up? You’ve had some tough days lately, it seems. The last few years haven’t been very kind to you. Despite democracy being at a modern-day high at the end of 2017 (Drew Desilver, Pew Research), a 2025 report from the University of Gothenburg found that autocratic countries now outnumber democracies worldwide, with 72 percent of the global population living under autocratic rule. Democracy, what happened to you? What can we do to make sure your future is secure and hopeful?