Reflecting on a Year of Elections Across the Globe

Over 60 countries went to the polls to pick new leaders in 2024, exposing global anti-incumbent trends in governance and concerns over the economy and immigration. 

From the Center: Analysts at Pew Research Center (Center bias) highlighted incumbent losses in the U.S., United Kingdom, Botswana, South Korea, Ghana, Panama, Portugal, and Uruguay. Right-wing populism secured victories in Germany, France, Austria, Romania, the United Kingdom, Portugal, and other nations. There were also the effects of wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Lastly, Pew Research Center mentioned global tensions over tradition and change, including conversations around immigration and LGBTQ+ issues. The ideological gap between favoring tradition or change was largest in the United States, where 91% of liberals said the country will be better off if it embraces change, while 28% of conservatives said the same.

From the Left: NBC News (Lean Left bias) and The New Republic (Left bias) pieces focused on anti-incumbent trends, linking it to the post-Covid economy. The NBC News piece also mentioned that citizens are becoming less happy, not only with their governments but with their lives, citing a decline in global well-being and linking it in part to social media algorithms. 

From the Right: Outlets on the right were less likely to feature reflections on worldwide elections, but an opinion in Townhall (Lean Right bias) argued that mass immigration was responsible for populist gains in the West.