U.S. labeled a 'flawed democracy,' but don't blame Trump

Researchers and analysts have granted the United States a sobering new moniker: "Flawed democracy."

But don't blame President Donald Trump's election victory, said those at the Economist Intelligence Unit, which each year assesses nearly 170 nations for their democratic values. The new commander in chief didn't sow the distrust of America's governmental institutions, the organization said. Rather, he benefitted from it.

The U.S. had enjoyed its status as a "full democracy" along with Britain, Australia and others. But the 2016 Democracy Index found the U.S. came up just short of its former title, relegating it to the likes of other "flawed democracies" such as Italy, France and Costa Rica among others. Flawed democracies have free and fair elections, basic civil liberties but have governing problems and low levels of participation.

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The EIU, the research and analysis wing of The Economist Group, a sister company to The Economist newspaper, said the reason for the downgrade was because trust in government, political parties and leaders had plummeted to "extremely low levels" in the U.S., a trend that opened things up for Trump.

"By tapping a deep strain of political disaffection with the functioning of democracy, Mr. Trump became a beneficiary of the low esteem in which U.S. voters hold their government, elected representatives and political parties," the study said.

The study goes on to say Trump "was not responsible" for a problem that had "a long gestation."

"The U.S. has been teetering on the brink of becoming a 'flawed democracy' for several years," the study added, "and even if there had been no presidential election in 2016, its score would have dipped."

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Trust in the U.S. had been trending downward since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the study said, citing a Pew Research Center study. But 9/11 was just one of many events that marred the U.S. government in the eyes of its people, the study said. Americans also have endured several wars, the Watergate scandal, the financial crisis of 2008, government shutdowns and income inequality.

Now that the U.S. is removed, the number of full democracies on the planet is down to 19 — about 4.5% of the world's population. The flawed democracy group is the largest with 57 countries and about 45% of the world's population. The rest are hybrid and authoritarian governments.

Norway, the study found, proved to be the most democratic country, earning the highest score. North Korea scored the lowest.

Follow Sean Rossman on Twitter: @SeanRossman