How Healthy is U.S. democracy?
Critical Analysis
Find answers to the following questions using the visual above, any links below, your big brain, and your knowledge of American government and politics:
Three different highly respected measures of the level of American democracy include the V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index, the Freedom House, Freedom in the World Score, and the EIU Democracy Index. According to the visual above, describe the trajectory (direction) of democracy in all three measures in the U.S. since 2005?
According to all three measures of American democracy shown above, what happened to the level of American democracy since Donald Trump won reelection in 2024?
The V-Dem Liberal Democracy Index rates countries on a scale of 0 (least democratic) to 1 (most democratic). The U.S. had consistently received a score of 0.80 or higher in the Liberal Democracy Index, but it has been below that mark since 2017, when President Donald Trump first took office. In 2025, when Trump returned to office for his second term, in one year the U.S. democracy rating fell from .75 to 0.57 – its lowest score since 1965. If the anti-democratic trend of the Trump administration continues, what do you predict America’s democracy ranking will be by the end of the second Trump term?
The V-Dem report notes that the U.S. experienced particularly large declines in checks and balances. V-Dem’s measures of legislative and judicial constraints on executive power, for example, fell to their lowest levels in over 100 years. V-Dem’s report downgrades the U.S. from a “liberal democracy” to an “electoral democracy.” V-Dem defines two different types of democracy (below) and says that the U.S. is no longer a liberal democracy, but is only an electoral democracy. Do you agree?
Electoral Democracy (Electoral Democracy Index - EDI): Focuses on the "how" of representation. It exists when leaders are chosen through clean, competitive, multi-party elections.
Liberal Democracy (Liberal Democracy Index - LDI): Focuses on the "what" of governance. It requires all elements of electoral democracy plus:
Checks and Balances: A strong legislature and judiciary that limit executive overreach.
Rule of Law: Transparent laws and equal protection under the law.
Individual/Minority Rights: Protection against state repression.Do you think most Americans would agree with V-Dem’s report which downgrades the U.S. from a “liberal democracy” to an “electoral democracy.”
The Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute surveys scholars and country experts to rate countries on elements of democracy including free and fair elections, checks and balances and civil rights. Freedom House publishes the yearly Freedom in the World report, which rates countries on political rights and civil liberties and is based on the views of local experts. The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) publishes the annual Democracy Index, which rates countries on electoral processes, governance, civil liberties, political participation and political culture. Rank the following criteria in terms of their importance to democracy: elections, checks and balances, political rights, civil rights, civil liberties, electoral processes, governance, political participation, and political culture.
Prior to 2017, V-Dem rated the U.S. as more democratic than most of its peer countries in the Group of Seven (G7), a group of top industrial democracies. In the organization’s latest analysis, the U.S. democracy score is below that of all other G7 nations. When Donald Trump did not like the results of the 2020 presidential election he tried to overturn those results with rhetoric, lawsuits (all of which failed), and a violent attack on the U.S. capitol on January 6th. Donald Trump is widely unpopular now and his party which continues to underperform in special elections will likely lose the midterm elections. Do you think Donald Trump will accept the results if his party loses in the midterm elections?
According to V-Dem, “Democracy in the USA is now at its worst in 60 years. They are not alone in this assessment. Professor Steven Levitsky at Harvard University says the regime in the USA is now some type of authoritarianism. The Century Foundation argues that “American democracy is already collapsing.” The Steady State, an organization of over 300 former national security and intelligence professionals, concluded in its report that the USA is moving into competitive authoritarianism, pointing to executive overreach and erosion of judicial and legislative checks. The Trump Action Tracker, led by Professor Christina Pagel, documents actions and statements of President Trump and his administration echoing those of authoritarian regimes. They report 2,651 instances : 704 directly undermining democracy, 459 weakening civil rights, 689 suppressing dissent, and 172 “hollowing the state.” Perhaps the most illustrative example is the President’s own declaration that the only limits to his powers are “his own morality” and that only the courts – not Congress – have power to restrict his domestic agenda “under certain circumstances.” Do you agree with these assessments that the U.S. is losing its hard-won democracy?
Meanwhile, Bright Line Watch, which surveys more than 500 U.S. scholars, concluded that the U.S. system now falls nearly midway between liberal democracy and dictatorship. According to the March 2026 survey shown below*, 68% of Americans – including majorities in both parties – say democracy in the United States used to be a good example for other countries to follow but has not been in recent years. Far fewer (24%) say U.S. democracy is a good example for other countries to follow. Why do you think public opinion about American democracy has changed so fast?
Based on the ideals of the Framer’s who wrote in The Declaration of Independence that. “All men are created equal.” And also the adoption of the 14th Amendment to The United States Constitution that proclaimed, “equal protection under the law.” Make a claim about how the Framers and the authors of the 14th Amendment would have reacted to the United States being ranked so low in democracy and freedom.
Viktor Orbán (pictured below*)significantly dismantled Hungarian democracy since he began his rule in 2010 by consolidating power, transforming it into what he calls an “illiberal democracy.” Through constitutional changes, gerrymandering, and control over media and courts, Orbán’s Fidesz party created a "partly free" state marked by unfair election advantages, weakened checks and balances, and a narrowed political space. Orbán - an inspiration to Donald Trump who has praised him as a "strong leader" - destroyed Hungarian democracy through Electoral System Manipulation, Media and Judiciary Control, Constitutional Changes, and "Free but Not Fair" Elections. Because of this, Under Orbán, Freedom House reclassified Hungary from "Free" to "Partly Free," making it the first EU member to be categorized as such. Orbán was kicked out of office in last week’s elections. Do you think the U.S. can alter its anti-democratic trajectory?
Write and Discuss
Take ten minutes to write about the question at the top of the page and then discuss with your classmates.
Act on your Learning
Think about the current state of democracy in the United States, list the thee most powerful steps citizens could take to advance American democracy, then take one.
Get Creative
Why do you think so many Americans are okay with the loss of American democracy? With empathy and imagination, try to get inside the mind of anti-democratic American to understand why they would support the end of American democracy. Donald Trump has recently proposed a massive monument to be erected for the 250th anniversary of American independence. Imagine people 250 years from now looking back on the fall of American democracy. What do you think a monument to the fall of American democracy would look like?
Learning Extension
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Teaching AP Government is a marathon, and every class period needs a strong start. The Liberty Bell Ringer Membership gives you an archive of 1,000+ ready-to-go bell ringers. But it doesn't stop there. When it's time to mix things up, dig into a growing library of whole-class games your students will actually enjoy. And when May draws near the built-in exam prep has you covered. Cancel at any time. Use promo code SIGNMEUP at checkout to get the first month of our monthly subscription for free!
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