With a record number of people heading to the polls around the world this year, perceptions of democracy have shifted.
Professor of Law at the University of Wollongong Markus Wagner said: "Polarisation has led to such deep divisions that trust is no longer in place that I would it's necessary to call the US a healthy democracy."
According to the Economic Intelligence Unit, the United States of America has been labelled a 'flawed democracy'.
“The US story has been rather glorious but over the last decades there have been questions raised. That then goes towards the erosion of deeply held narratives that might not make the country look as heroic as it once might've looked to lots of people," said Professor Wagner.
This episode of SBS Examines looks at democracy in two very different administrations — China, and the USA — to understand how perceptions differ around the world.
