Strengthen democracy!

Through its work, the Bertelsmann Stiftung aims to make democracy crisis-proof and sustainable. Here is an overview of our activities and priorities in this area:

The Bertelsmann Stiftung has awarded the 2025 Reinhard Mohn Prize to the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, and to entrepreneur and philanthropist Michael Otto. In keeping with the title of this year's prize – "Strengthen democracy!" – it presented the award in recognition of both recipients' commitment to democratic values and a free society. The presentation speeches were given by Germany's Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Liz Mohn, honorary member of the Bertelsmann Stiftung's Board of Trustees and the foundation’s global representative.

According to the award citation, the two recipients have impressively demonstrated how today’s much-challenged liberal democracy can be protected, promoted and developed further through commitment and courageous leadership. Thanks to their values and actions, both recipients exemplify the theme of the Reinhard Mohn Prize: "Strengthen democracy!" While Maia Sandu fights for freedom and self-determination in the political arena, Michael Otto has dedicated himself to promoting the democratic idea and its sustainability in business and civil society.

Maia Sandu has been president of the Republic of Moldova since the end of 2020. She is the first woman to lead the country bordering Ukraine and Romania. She was elected to a second term of office at the beginning of November 2024. During the election campaign and voting process, massive attempts by Russia to prevent her re-election through manipulation, interference and the spread of disinformation were documented. Sandu has promoted Moldova’s sovereignty and EU-orientation for years, and she applied for the country's accession to the EU following the outbreak of war in Ukraine in 2022. In a public referendum in October 2024, the people of Moldova confirmed their desire to join the EU. In early 2025, the pressure from Russia increased even further when Moscow completely cut off gas supplies to the Republic of Moldova on January 15.

Michael Otto, the second recipient, was chairman of the Executive Board of the Otto Group from 1981 to 2007 and has served as chairman of its Supervisory Board since then. The Hamburg-based entrepreneur was an early advocate of environmental protection, development aid and social and educational projects. He has established several foundations, including the environmental foundation bearing his name as well as Stiftung KlimaWirtschaft. As patron and chairman of the Board of Trustees of Haus Rissen in Hamburg, he is committed to taking a contemporary approach to democracy education. He established the Michael Otto Foundation for Sustainability at the end of 2023, a further example of his desire to strengthen an open society and protect democracy while developing it further.

After two years of intensive international collaboration with researchers from around the world and in close exchange with policymakers, we have identified 10 points that can help strengthen digital discourse and, as a result, democracy.

Feeling powerless and overwhelmed by the breakneck speed of current geopolitical developments is understandable – but it can’t be allowed to paralyze us. Thinking about the future and identifying new possibilities for taking action can inspire people to get involved, as our scenarios for digital public spaces in 2035 show.

Anyone following the highly emotional debate about migration and the related political consequences, including for Germany’s 2025 parliamentary elections, might want to consult our analyses of developments related to climate and gender issues. The analyses illustrate the dynamics both issues have in common and provide many ideas that can steer the discussion in a more constructive direction. 

The Bertelsmann Stiftung presented its annual topic for 2024 and 2025 – "Strengthen democracy!" – on March 18, 2024 in Berlin, with Olaf Scholz as its most prominent guest. The federal chancellor called on the country’s citizens to do their democratic duty and shape the future confidently, saying: "Democracy – that’s us."

Disinformation and deliberately disseminated falsehoods are among the greatest threats to democracy. In Germany as elsewhere, people view targeted disinformation as a danger for democracy – as our study  "Disconcerted Public" shows. According to the survey carried out for the study, 81 percent of respondents say that disinformation jeopardizes democracy.

There is also widespread awareness of the problem at the European level, as another Bertelsmann Stiftung survey makes clear. According to the study, one respondent in two (54 percent) is often or very often unsure if the information they find on the Internet is true.

But how can we become more resilient against disinformation campaigns in social media? 

Forum Against Fakes – Together for a Strong Democracy ran an online campaign to explain to people what the dangers of disinformation are. Everyone in Germany was invited to participate at www.forum-gegen-fakes.de. The submitted suggestions were compiled by a citizens’ council, then presented to policymakers. An overview is available here. In the end, 424,000 people took part and 28 practical proposals were presented to Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser.

Disinformation is a global phenomenon. At a time when many Western democracies are struggling to overcome the influence of the far right, we would do well to learn from countries and regions that have extensive experience remaining resilient. Our international research and reports from every continent provide insight.

The European Union needs a union of citizens who have the chance to participate in the policy-making process – early on and in a way that makes it more democratic and more efficient. That is the message of our policy brief "The EU’s participatory enlargement."

At the end of 2023, the Bertelsmann Stiftung also founded the Network for Citizen Participation & Deliberation together with the think tank FIDE (Foundation for Research on Law and Business). The network’s aim is to improve and anchor citizen participation in Europe.  

Yet how can people regain confidence in the political process? How can they be recruited for specific projects? What would such efforts look like within our own ranks or in public administration? And above all, how can we incorporate participatory democracy into local representative structures in a practical, sustainable way? These questions gave rise to the idea of turning young politicians into experts on citizen participation. Together with the European Committee of the Regions, the New Democracy project launched the Becoming a Participation Professional initiative. More than 100 people applied from countries such as Bulgaria, France, Luxemburg, Serbia, Ukraine and Cyprus, and the project is now training 45 young politicians from 25 European countries so they can serve as experts on participatory democracy. 

The Bertelsmann Stiftung used a series of events to focus on the importance of citizen participation. The role of the local level, where the EU’s decision-making takes concrete shape, was the subject of a discussion with European Commission Vice-President Dubravka Šuica. It was also the topic of a second discussion, which included the call to firmly anchor citizen-participation models in European policy-making. Ireland is a pioneer when it comes to participatory democracy. At another Bertelsmann Stiftung discussion, Art O'Leary, chief executive of Ireland’s Electoral Commission, described how the Irish approach works and how other countries can emulate it.

The quality of democracy in developing and transition countries has steadily deteriorated over the past twenty years. Today, there are only 63 democracies compared to a majority of 74 autocracies - this is shown by the latest figures from the Bertelsmann Stiftung's Transformation Index (BTI). For the tenth time, the BTI is analyzing developments in governance in 137 developing and transition countries. 

Because 2024 was a super election year, the BTI is offering another special service. The BTI's Election Calendar provides a comprehensive overview of the results of the elections, all paired with all of the BTI's information on the states. 

Learn more: How to halt democracy erosion (bertelsmann-stiftung.de)

What the BTI documents for developing and transition countries, our Sustainable Governance Indicators (SGI) do for the 41 EU and OECD states. The Scandinavian countries generally perform well when it comes to sustainable good governance.

Based on the new data set, we compared Germany, the UK, Norway and Denmark in terms of how far the countries have come in terms of the energy transition. Norway is ahead but, like the other countries, still has some homework to do.

Even the youngest children can learn what democracy means. Three to six-year-olds can acquire democratic skills and become acquainted with social engagement and participation. The Bertelsmann Stiftung was so convinced of this that it launched the "Leon and Jelena" children’s book series in 2014. Accompanied by a practical guide, 17 picture books now teach children how rewarding it is to take responsibility and contribute their ideas to group discussions. In short, for 10 years, Leon and Jelena have been teaching preschool children a great deal – including what it means to grow up in a democracy.

There is no question that the EU is in need of reform. What such a reform should look like was the question addressed during a discussion with Daniela Schwarzer, a member of our Executive Board, Guy Verhofstadt, former Belgian prime minister, and Janis Emmanouilidis, director of studies at the European Policy Centre. A video of the event can be viewed here. "What’s Next for EU Democracy" was the title of another discussion in the series.

The Bertelsmann Stiftung brought together the voices of 1.5 million young people between the ages of 15 and 34 from all the EU member states, and their messages have been summarized in the "Agenda of Hope." Above all, young Europeans are calling for greater citizen participation in EU policy-making.

What will Donald Trump’s re-election mean for the democracies in Germany and the European Union? Our analysis shows that the changes would be fundamental. Trump’s goal is to turn the United States into an “illiberal democracy,” which would weaken liberal democracies and strengthen autocratic and antidemocratic forces, including in Europe.

A recent eupinions survey sheds light on how Europeans view the EU’s relationship with the US, showing that in today’s changing world order, a clear majority of the European population is ready to take greater responsibility to defend Europe’s interests. That is the key finding of the survey conducted in all 27 EU member states. The figures show a clear shift in opinion in Europe: At the end of 2017, only one-quarter of respondents wanted greater European involvement.

How strong is social cohesion in Germany? The book "Anders wird gut" (Different Is Good) – written by Kai Unzicker, our expert for social cohesion, and journalist Verena Carl – provides examples of well-functioning social cohesion in the country.

The Weimar Conversations examined the topic "Transformation of the Public Sphere – Risks for Social Cohesion." The takeaway from the conversations: Positive change is possible.

Democracy doesn’t work without compromise – and sometimes not without disputes. In November 2024, Germany’s governing coalition finally collapsed. There was little common ground left between the coalition’s partners and their disagreements made it largely impossible for them to work together effectively. The result did not seem a foregone conclusion, since our experts had given the coalition surprisingly good marks when it reached the halfway point of its time in office. 

German Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius did not mince words at an event organized by the Bertelsmann Stiftung. In light of the attack on Ukraine, he called for "passion for democracy and freedom."

In times of crisis, it becomes clear how valuable a functioning civil society is. Yet civil society also requires structures – including religious ones. The publication "An das Gute glauben" (Believing in the Good) analyses the role faith-based communities play in supporting refugees.

At the same time, however, discrimination is becoming more and more common. Our survey shows that an increasing number of people in Germany say they have experienced discrimination. Of the participating respondents, 13 percent said that, in the previous 12 months, they felt discriminated against ("very often" or "sometimes") due to their ethnic heritage, as a result of racism or antisemitism, or because they are originally from another country.

As the case of Canada shows, it is possible to implement successful immigration policies, since the country currently expects to welcome a record number of newcomers – more than 460,000 per year.

#StrengthenDemocracy on the other side of the Atlantic: Our colleagues in Washington have written a series of posts analyzing the US election. What does Trump’s victory mean for democracy in the US? How divided is the country? They also examine the relationship between the US and European countries and, in the Election Hub, take a look at how the election year unfolded.