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Global Presidential Leadership Expectations Survey 2024
— What the World Expects from Its Presidents

Anonymized views from 200 participants across 45 countries, collected via a structured Google Forms questionnaire distributed on global social media platforms. Participants assess what defines a good versus bad president, which factors drive their vote, the priorities a president should pursue, human rights expectations, and governance standards. All 25 Likert-scale items are recorded as full qualitative text responses.

200
Participants
45
Countries
43
Variables
8,600
Data Points
🎯 Study Purpose

This study was designed to capture diverse global perspectives on presidential leadership — what citizens around the world genuinely expect from their head of state, what behaviors they consider disqualifying, and what factors most powerfully shape their electoral choices. The central research questions were: "What qualities and behaviors define a good president across different political cultures? What order of priorities should a president pursue? And which specific human rights and governance standards should a president be held to?"

By collecting responses from participants with varied political orientations, educational backgrounds, and cultural contexts across six continents, the study aims to produce a cross-cultural map of presidential expectations — identifying both universal standards (e.g., anti-corruption, rule of law) and culturally variable preferences (e.g., LGBTQ+ advocacy, religious influence, economic versus social priorities). The findings are intended to inform political science research, civic education programs, leadership evaluation frameworks, and comparative democracy studies.

📋 Data Collection Methodology

Instrument Design: A structured self-administered questionnaire was built in Google Forms. It contains six sections: (A) Demographics and political background; (B) Good President Qualities — 10 Likert items; (C) Bad President Behaviors — 6 Likert items; (D) Voting Factors — 3 ranked categorical selections; (E) Presidential Priority Order — top 3 ranked priorities; (F) Human Rights & Governance Expectations — 9 Likert items; and (G) four final categorical assessments. Estimated completion time: 10–15 minutes.

Distribution: The survey link was shared on Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, Reddit (r/politics, r/worldnews, r/PoliticalDiscussion, r/AskPolitics, country-specific subreddits), LinkedIn, WhatsApp political and civic groups, Telegram communities, and TikTok political discussion pages across multiple languages. Posts were made in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese to reach non-English-speaking communities.

Sampling: Convenience and snowball sampling. Participants 18+ residing anywhere in the world were eligible. Both citizens of democratic and non-democratic states were included to capture diverse governance contexts. Country of origin and country of current residence were both collected.

Anonymization: No names, emails, or identifying data collected. Google Forms was configured in anonymous mode. Participant IDs (PART_001–PART_200) were assigned post-export.

Collection Period & Cleaning: January 2024 – July 2024. Responses with more than four blank Likert items excluded. Final dataset: 200 complete, unique, valid responses from 45 countries.

⚠️ Known Limitations

Self-Selection & Platform Bias: Online distribution over-represents educated, urban, and politically engaged respondents. Participants in politically repressive states may under-report dissenting views due to fear of surveillance. Social desirability bias is likely on sensitive items such as Q26 (LGBTQ+ rights) and Q13 (constitutional limits on power). The English-language questionnaire under-represents non-English speakers despite partial translation. Results should not be treated as statistically representative of any national population — the dataset is intended for exploratory, comparative, and educational research only.

📝 Survey Items Overview

SECTION B – GOOD PRESIDENT QUALITIES (Q1–Q10, Likert: Strongly Disagree → Strongly Agree)

Q1: A good president should prioritize economic development and job creation above all other duties Q2: A good president must protect human rights and civil liberties of all citizens regardless of affiliation Q3: A good president should be fully transparent and accountable to the public at all times Q4: A good president must maintain strong national security and protect citizens from threats Q5: A good president should actively work to reduce inequality and poverty in the country Q6: A good president must respect and uphold the constitution even when it limits their own power Q7: A good president should maintain strong diplomatic relations and promote peace internationally Q8: A good president must invest significantly in public healthcare, education, and social services Q9: A good president should listen to and act on concerns of ordinary citizens, not just the elite Q10: A good president must be willing to make unpopular decisions when in the nation's best interest

SECTION C – BAD PRESIDENT BEHAVIORS (Q11–Q16, Likert)

Q11: A president who silences opposition voices or jails political opponents is unfit for office Q12: A president who uses public funds for personal enrichment should be immediately removed from office Q13: A president who ignores the constitution to extend their stay in power is acting as a dictator Q14: A president who favors one ethnic, religious, or racial group over others is dangerous to national unity Q15: A president who starts unnecessary wars to distract from domestic problems is deeply irresponsible Q16: A president who controls or censors the media is fundamentally undermining democracy

SECTION D – VOTING FACTORS & PRIORITY ORDER (Ranked Categorical)

Q17: Most Important Factor When Voting for a Presidential Candidate Q18: Second Most Important Voting Factor Q19: Third Most Important Voting Factor Q20: President's #1 Priority Upon Taking Office Q21: President's #2 Priority Q22: President's #3 Priority

SECTION E – HUMAN RIGHTS & GOVERNANCE (Q23–Q31, Likert)

Q23: The president should actively advocate for freedom of speech and press freedom Q24: The president should ensure equal rights for women including equal pay and political representation Q25: The president should protect rights of religious minorities and ensure freedom of worship Q26: The president should advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and non-discrimination protections Q27: The president should ensure indigenous and ethnic minority communities have equal legal protections Q28: The president should prioritize children's rights including education and protection from exploitation Q29: A president should publish and commit to a clear multi-year national development plan Q30: A president should actively fight corruption even if it means prosecuting members of their own party Q31: A president should involve citizens in decision-making through referendums and public consultations

FINAL ASSESSMENTS (FA1–FA4, Categorical)

FA1: Overall quality of presidential leadership in the world today FA2: Are elections in your country genuinely free and fair? FA3: Does the current/most recent president meet your definition of good leadership? FA4: Single most important change to improve presidential governance in your country
📊 Participant Distribution by Country (200 Total)
United States10
United Kingdom8
France5
Germany5
Brazil7
Nigeria7
South Africa6
Kenya5
Zambia5
India7
China5
Japan4
South Korea4
Philippines4
Indonesia5
Venezuela5
Mexico5
Argentina4
Russia5
Turkey4
Egypt5
Ghana4
Ethiopia4
Rwanda4
Uganda4
Malawi3
Pakistan4
Australia5
Canada5
Sweden4
Norway3
Poland4
Ukraine4
DR Congo3
Zimbabwe4
Colombia3
Chile3
Saudi Arabia3
UAE3
Bangladesh3
Cuba3
Haiti3
Myanmar3
Israel3
Iran3
Likert Scale (Q1–Q31): Strongly Disagree  |  Disagree  |  Neutral  |  Agree  |  Strongly Agree
Most Important Voting Factor options: Economic policies and job creation plans | Candidate's personal integrity and honesty | Party affiliation and political ideology | Candidate's experience and qualifications | Specific policy promises (healthcare, education, welfare) | National security and defense stance | Candidate's charisma and leadership presence | Endorsement from community, religious, or tribal leaders | Candidate's stance on human rights and social justice | Candidate's past track record and performance | Fight against corruption and government accountability | Candidate's ability to unite different groups in society
Presidential Priority options: Fix the economy: create jobs and reduce unemployment | Fight corruption and reform government institutions | Improve healthcare access and quality for all citizens | Strengthen national security and protect borders | Reduce poverty and address social inequality | Build and modernize national infrastructure | Reform and improve the education system | Protect the environment and address climate change | Strengthen democratic institutions and uphold rule of law | Improve foreign relations and international partnerships | Ensure food security and agricultural development | Combat organized crime, drug trafficking, and gang violence
FA1 – Global Leadership Quality: Very Poor – most world leaders fail their citizens | Poor – the majority of presidents globally underperform | Fair – some lead adequately but many fall short | Good – many leaders globally are doing a reasonable job | Excellent – world presidential leadership is generally strong
FA2 – Electoral Fairness: Yes, genuinely free and fair | Mostly free and fair with minor irregularities | Partially free – significant irregularities exist | Not very free – major manipulation occurs | Not at all free – elections are completely controlled | Not applicable – my country is not a democracy
FA3 – Current/Last President Assessment: Yes, fully meets my definition of good leadership | Partially – meets some criteria but falls short in key areas | No – does not meet my definition of a good president | Unsure / I do not closely follow their performance
FA4 – Most Important Governance Reform: Stronger constitutional term limits | Independent anti-corruption commission with prosecution powers | Mandatory public disclosure of presidential assets and spending | Stronger parliament/congress oversight over executive powers | Free and fully independent judiciary | Mandatory qualifications and experience requirements for candidates | Regular public performance reviews and recall mechanisms | Campaign finance reform | Fully independent electoral commission | Stronger protection of free press and independent media

File: Global_Presidential_Leadership_Expectations_Survey_2024_200P.xlsx