It’s a sad time in any country’s history when its citizens don’t feel they have the freedom that served as a global differentiator in their quality of life. According to the 2024 Democracy Perception Index, satisfaction with personal freedom in the United States has dropped to 72% — well below the global average of 81% and lagging far behind other high-income democracies in the OECD, where the median is 86%. The most striking decline comes from American women, whose satisfaction has plummeted to just 66% — placing the U.S. among the bottom 20 countries in the world for women’s perception of their freedom.
This erosion of confidence isn’t just a statistic — it’s a reflection of a cultural and political shift that many feel in their daily lives. Since the 2022 Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned the constitutional right to abortion, women across all age groups have reported a growing dissatisfaction with their ability to make choices about their own lives. The V-Dem Women’s Civil Rights Index mirrors this trend, recording its lowest U.S. score since 1978.
Men’s satisfaction with personal freedom has also declined — though less sharply — with much of the drop tied to disapproval of presidential leadership, first under Biden and now under Trump. Yet even amid political swings, men consistently report higher satisfaction than women, revealing a gender gap in perceived freedom that is wider in the U.S. than almost anywhere else on Earth.
Globally, the United States is now viewed as less free and less admired than ever. As authoritarian-leaning rhetoric and policies continue to reshape American institutions, the myth of the U.S. as a beacon of liberty appears to be fading — not just in the eyes of the world, but in the hearts of its own citizens.
The takeaway? If “freedom” is still our national brand, then we’re in a crisis of credibility. A healthy democracy depends not just on institutions, but on how people feel about their rights and power to shape their lives. Rebuilding that sense of freedom — especially among those who feel most betrayed by its loss — must be a national priority. Because when a nation stops believing in its own ideals, the world takes note. Go beyond the headlines…while you can!
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