Home / Foreign Policy & Diplomacy / Global Survey Finds Citizens Back a World Parliament as Trust in the International System Erodes

Foreign Policy & Diplomacy

Global Survey Finds Citizens Back a World Parliament as Trust in the International System Erodes

January 23, 2026

Spread the love

A global survey across 101 countries finds global majority support for a citizen-elected world parliament to handle global issues, reflecting widespread concern over an outdated and undemocratic international order.

BERLIN, 20 January 2026 – As democracy faces pressure around the world and confidence in international law drops, a new global survey reveals that citizens in a vast majority of countries support the idea of creating a citizen-elected world parliament to deal with global issues. The survey, commissioned by Democracy Without Borders and conducted across 101 countries representing 90% of the world’s population, finds that 40% of respondents support the proposal, while only 27% are opposed. It is the largest poll ever carried out thus far on this subject.

Support is strongest in countries of the Global South, especially Sub-Saharan Africa, and among groups often underrepresented in national political systems—young people, ethnic minorities, and those with lower income or education levels. In 85 out of 101 countries surveyed, more respondents support the idea than oppose it.

“The message is clear: people around the world are ready to expand democratic representation to the global scale,” said Andreas Bummel, Executive Director of Democracy Without Borders. “This survey shows there is a growing global constituency that wants a voice in decisions affecting humanity as a whole,” he added.

The findings come at a time when the international system is under increasing strain from climate change, war, geopolitical conflicts, authoritarian resurgence, and stalled global cooperation. The results suggest that many citizens—especially in less powerful countries—see a world parliament as a pathway to fairer and more effective global governance.

In countries with limited political freedoms, support for a world parliament is particularly high. According to Democracy Without Borders, this points to a public perception that global democratic institutions could help advance democracy at home as well.

A notable 33% of respondents globally selected a neutral stance, suggesting unfamiliarity with the concept. An analysis of the survey results argues that this indicates a wide-open space for public engagement. If the idea gains visibility, support could grow substantially, it says..

“The international system created in the last century to prevent war and mass violence is built on the United Nations. But many UN member states do not represent their people. They represent oppressive authoritarian elites who have seized power. The proposed vision of a citizen-elected world parliament could be a vital step in the discussion about building a more democratic global order,” said Oleksandra Matviichuk, head of the Centre for Civil Liberties in Ukraine awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize.

According to the survey, net opposition found in individual countries is most concentrated in high-income democracies. “This is not a rejection of democracy. It is a reminder that privilege may breed complacency, and that those who benefit from existing arrangements may underestimate how urgently they need renewal,” commented George Papandreou, Greek Member of Parliament and former Prime Minister.

Democracy Without Borders, an international civil society organization, advocates for the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly as a step toward a democratic world parliament. The organization says the survey results reinforce the urgency for democratic governments to consider this long-standing proposal.

Key findings

Survey design

Coverage: 101 countries representing 90% of the global population.
Sample: 117,000 respondents, nationally representative by age and gender.
Question: “Would you support or oppose the creation of a citizen-elected World Parliament to handle global issues?”
Carried out by Nira Data.

Topline Global Results

40% support (strongly or somewhat).
27% are opposed (strongly or somewhat).
33% are neutral.
Global net support is 13 percentage points.
Net support is positive in 85 countries.

Regional Patterns

Sub-Saharan Africa showed the highest support. In all countries there is net support. In 10 of 15 countries, support is around or above 50%, led by Mozambique, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Nigeria.
Europe had the highest number of countries with net opposition—10 out of 27—led by Austria, the UK, and Denmark. But often, the neutral share was higher than opposition. Strongest support was found in Türkiye, Ukraine, and Italy.
In the Americas, support outweighed opposition in nearly all countries. The United States showed one of the lowest support levels globally but here, too, the neutral share was larger than opposition. Strongest support was found in Cuba and Venezuela.
Asia-Pacific and Middle East/North Africa regions with only few exceptions showed supportive attitudes, especially in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Taiwan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Egypt.

Demographic Patterns

The youngest age group (18–35) shows the strongest support, with net support of 19 percentage points compared to net support of only 1 percentage point in the oldest age group (above 55).
Ethnic minorities support the idea far more than majorities (net support of 23 vs. 6 percentage points).
Urban residents in large cities show a net support of 20 percentage points whereas among rural populations only a net support of 1 percentage point is found.
Women are less opposed and more neutral, with a net support of 17 percentage points which is around 2.5 times higher than among men (7 percentage points).
Support is highest among respondents with lower income and education levels, while opposition is strongest among high-income and highly educated groups.

Background

The creation of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) is considered a first practical step towards the vision of a citizen-elected World Parliament.
A UNPA vested with consultative and oversight functions could be set up by a vote of the UN General Assembly.
A UNPA is part of the platform of the “We The Peoples” campaign for public participation at the UN, endorsed by over 300 civil society groups from across the world.
The history, relevance and implementation of the idea is described in the book “A World Parliament: Governance and Democracy in the 21st Century” by Jo Leinen and Andreas Bummel, 2nd edition 2024.