International Democracy Day: How Resilient are the Citizens Who Make Democracy Work?

Democracy Starts With Us.As we mark the International Day of Democracy on The Swing, and the release of International IDEA’s Global State of Democracy Report 2026: Democracy in an Age of Conflict, host Heather Bakken is joined by Alberto Fernandez Gibaja of International IDEA, Maiwand Rayab of Resilient Societies, and the head of Pendulum Group's information integrity practice, Jennifer Irish.The Global State of Democracy Report provides evidence based analysis on democratic performance worldwide and highlights global democratic trends.In this episode the conversation explores what happens when trust, shared reality, civic space and community connections are undermined by adversaries, false narratives and technology that leverage events and wedge issues to promote polarization, disinformation and conflict. And it examines what we can do about it -- from strengthening civic institutions to simply knowing our neighbours and exercising our democratic agency.So why is in democracy in decline? How resilient are the citizens who make democracy work? Tune into The Swing to find out.