In this report, researchers provide the first global overview of how the pandemic has changed political attitudes and beliefs. The authors use data collected by YouGov from 27 countries and 81,857 individuals during the 2020-21 pandemic, together with data compiled by HUMAN Surveys from 79 sources and over 8 million individuals from 169 countries and 6,845 national surveys since 1958.

The research finds strong evidence that the pandemic has blunted the rise of populism, including support for populist parties, approval of leaders, and agreement with populist attitudes. However, the authors also find a disturbing erosion of support for core democratic beliefs and principles, including less liberal attitudes with respect to basic civil rights and liberties and weaker preference for democratic government.