Bill Gates Says ‘It’s a Strange World’ — Only 8% of Americans Think Politicians Are Doing a Good Job vs. 80% in China, Where They Don’t Elect Officials

Democracy is supposed to come with a pretty simple arrangement. Voters choose their leaders, and those leaders are supposed to earn the public’s trust. Bill Gates pointed to a statistic that makes that relationship look considerably more complicated.

The Microsoft (MSFT) co-founder and philanthropist discussed the state of democracy, political polarization, and trust in institutions during an August interview with APT. When asked whether democracy was “shutting down, hibernating, or preparing to upgrade,” Gates said measures of democracy had declined slightly after rising dramatically following World War II.