Global watchdog rules that the U.S. is not a full democracy anymore

The Land of the Free might not be as free as it used to be.
(Image credit: iStock)

The United States of America is no longer a full democracy, the Economist Intelligence Unit has ruled. The freedom watchdog demoted the U.S. from "full democracy," the highest level of freedom, to "flawed democracy" on Wednesday. It is the first time ever that the U.S. has dropped below being a "full democracy," CNBC reports. The global Democracy Index has two lower distinctions available after "flawed": "hybrid regime" and the lowest, "authoritarian regime."

The Democracy Index makes its evaluation on 167 countries in the world by assessing five categories: electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, functioning of government, political participation, and political culture. Scoring above an 8.00 qualifies a nation as a full democracy, but the U.S. dipped to 7.98 from 8.05 in 2016, CNBC reports.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.