Overview
- Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Demokratiemonitor 2026, released Monday, finds 82% endorse liberal democratic values while only 29% are satisfied with how democracy works day to day.
- Elections score highest in both principle and practice, with 91% backing the rules of voting and 65% saying elections function well in real life.
- Parties and participation draw the sharpest criticism, as 77% support parties in principle but only 17% like how they operate, and just 15% feel they have good ways to take part beyond voting.
- The study spans six survey waves from 2019 to 2025 with more than 5,000 respondents per wave and shows legitimacy rising by about two to five points in most areas despite recent crises.
- The authors say low satisfaction does not yet equal a democracy crisis, and follow-on regional work such as the Niedersachsenpanel reports greater discontent among younger and right-leaning people, signaling where fixes could matter most.