Opinions on countries being more divided than in the past 2022, by country

The past years have seen an increasing focus on political polarization in the world, with populist parties entering parliament and even government in several countries around the world. Moreover, political polarization has intensified in the United States in recent years, which culminated in the storming of the Capitol in January 2021. In January 2023, supporters of the outgoing president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the parliament of Brazil and the presidential palace.

In 2022, more than half of the respondents in 15 countries worldwide were of the opinion that their countries were more divided today than in the past. This was most strong in the Netherlands, where 80 percent of the respondents had this opinion. It was also high in Brazil, Sweden, and France.