The Democracy Perception Index put the US at -16%, behind Russia's -11% and China's +7%, after polling more than 94,000 people in 98 countries.
The Denmark-based Alliance of Democracies Foundation said views of the US have worsened for a second straight year, down from +22% two years ago.
The report linked the slide to tariffs, strains with NATO allies, reduced support for Ukraine and threats involving Greenland, ahead of the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on 12 May.
With America's global image collapsing, is the era of the U.S. dollar's dominance now coming to an end?
As NATO faces its worst crisis, how are European powers building a security framework independent from the United States?
America’s Rapid Democratic Backslide: From Liberal Democracy to Electoral Democracy in One Year
Overview
The 2026 V-Dem report marks a historic downgrade of the United States from a liberal democracy to an electoral democracy, driven by a sharp drop in its democracy index to the lowest level since 1965. This rapid decline stems from the Trump administration's aggressive concentration of presidential power, including politicizing federal agencies, undermining judicial independence, and dismantling election infrastructure. These actions, combined with deepening political polarization and weakened institutional checks, have eroded civil rights, free speech, and legislative restraint. The U.S. fall has damaged its global standing, emboldened authoritarian regimes, and weakened international democratic cooperation, creating a dangerous cycle of democratic backsliding both domestically and worldwide.