In today’s age everyone uses social media. However, once social media was used only for talking and staying updated, today it is not just a platform for photos, videos or entertainment. Instead, social media has now started playing an important role in elections, politics, government decisions and opinion formation. But the question is whether social media is beneficial or harmful for democracy?

The use of social media is as good as it is bad. Now talking about its impact on democracy, a research has recently come out in which different countries have given their opinion on this question. The Pew Research Center’s new global report collects the views of people in 37 countries. The picture of the report is interesting, in which both sides are visible. Research has also made it clear that people in almost every country are seeing its two faces.

Mixed data from 37 countries

People in most countries of the world believe that social media has helped them get information about news and current events and has also given them an opportunity to express their views on politics. On this question, combined data from 37 countries showed that about 77% of people feel that the Internet and social media have made people more informed about current events, while 60% believe that it has increased their ability to express their views on politics.

Division in political thought

Another aspect of this report, on the other hand, causes more concern. 79% of people in 37 countries say that the Internet and social media have made it easier for people to be influenced by false information and rumours. While 68% believe that this has led to further division in people’s political thinking. This means that a single medium provides information to the public and makes them more susceptible to misinformation. India’s picture is different from that of many western countries.

A picture of the countries in the survey

1. India: 66% said social media was good for democracy, while 23% said it was bad. 66% of Indians say it keeps people more updated. While 55% believe that this has increased their ability to express their views in politics. But 62% believe misinformation and rumors have made it easier to influence people, and 51% said there is more division in political thinking.
2. America: Here the picture is quite the opposite. 64% of Americans see social media as more harmful to democracy and only 34% see it as beneficial. 81% say it has increased political differences and 87% say it has made it easier to influence people through misinformation and rumours.
3. Europe: In many large European countries there is more concern about social media. 65% in France, 61% in Germany, 56% in Britain and 70% in the Netherlands said it was bad for democracy. By contrast, 55% in Poland, 54% in Italy and 53% in Greece saw it as a good thing.
4. A different picture in Asia: 77% in Thailand, 77% in Singapore, 74% in the Philippines, 71% in Malaysia and 67% in Bangladesh said social media is good for democracy. The figure was 62% in Pakistan and 55% in Indonesia. In South Korea, 52% said it was good and 38% said it was bad.
5. Africa and Latin America: 80% in Nigeria, 75% in Kenya and 72% in Ghana said social media is good for democracy. In Latin America, 69% in Mexico, 65% in Brazil and 63% in Colombia had a positive opinion.

Social media is considered beneficial in India

Only 23% of people in India considered social media more harmful to democracy, while 66% considered it more beneficial. In comparison, 64% in America, 65% in France, 61% in Germany and 56% in Britain said it was bad for democracy. The average figure for 37 countries is 35%. This shows that countries’ attitudes towards social media vary with their economic status, age and digital usage patterns.

The mindset of youth in India is more positive

However, there is a difference in terms of social media in India, but also a different figure based on age. The report said 74 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds said social media is good for democracy. At the same time, the figure was 69% in the 35 to 49 age group, while it dropped to 50% among those 50 years or older.

Age-wise statistics in other countries

If we talk about Britain, the report shows such a big difference, where 60% of 18-34 year olds think social media is good, compared to 31% of over 50s. Even in America, 44% of people under 35 think it’s good, compared to 28% of people over 50.

Which countries find it beneficial?

According to the survey, it is among the top 5 countries in terms of people who believe social media is good for democracy. Nigeria is at the forefront. 80 percent of people here called social media good for democracy, while 11 percent said it was bad. There itself Thailand And Singapore In India, 77%-77% rated it as good, while on the other hand, 21% and 22% rated it as bad. Philippines 74% think social media is good for democracy and 23% think it is bad Malaysia 71% are good and 27% are bad people.

Concerned about social media

An interesting pattern emerged in the report. In countries with higher per capita incomes, there is greater concern about the impact of social media on democracy. The top 5 countries that consider social media bad for democracy are: The Netherlands In 70%, France 65% in America 64% in Germany 61% in and Britain 56% said social media is bad for democracy. In these countries, the proportion of people who thought it good was 27%, 31%, 34%, 37% and 41%.

Concerns have increased in many countries compared to 2022

In Germany, the number of people who believe social media is bad for democracy rose from 41% in 2022 to 61% in 2026. In France it rose from 51% to 65%, in Britain from 48% to 56% and in Canada from 47% to 55%. In the Netherlands it rose from 54% to 70%. In Japan, in 2022, 23% thought it bad, now the figure is 43%. In Indonesia, 43% of people will consider it bad in 2026, compared to 24% in 2023.

However, the change is not uniform in every country. In both 2022 and 2026, 64% of Americans thought social media was bad for democracy. On average across the 37 countries, 77% of people think this has increased information, but 79% also think it has made it easier to influence people with misinformation. Similarly, 60% believe that the political voice of the people has become stronger, but 68% believe that the division in political thinking has also increased.