Home U.S. Pro-Democracy Narrative and Message Guide Core values to evoke in communicating about democracy

Core values to evoke in communicating about democracy

Values are the deeply held beliefs that ground a narrative, connect it to what people care about, and increase their likelihood of attention, adoption, and action. Building on our global work, the research conducted here in the United States by Metropolitan Group (MG) validated a set of nine core values that are associated with democracy in an authentic and compelling way. These core values are shown below.

The values featured in the top row (freedom, fairness, and fearlessness/strength) are those most closely and believably associated with democracy, and are harder for authoritarians to authentically appropriate for their own purposes. These core values resonate across the political and ideological spectrum, providing a powerful area of distinction for democratic narratives. Of these three, freedom is far and away the most important value to evoke in pro-democracy narratives (90% rate freedom as central to Democracy). Fairness is also broadly associated with democracy (75% rate fairness as central). While in polling, fearlessness/strength is not as strongly associated with democracy as some of the other values, it effectively counters the fear-based appeals and enemies, others, and outsiders frames that are common in the authoritarian playbook, and conveys strength and courage, including framing being fearless of engaging with other opinions or other perspectives that are fundamental to inclusive democracy.

Five other core values (representation, responsibility, safety/security, honesty, and prosperity) are those that people expect from, and that are key to, any governance narrative. From our scans — both domestic and global — these core values show up in both pro-democracy and pro-authoritarian narratives.

The last core value identified below (family/belonging) is at the top of surveys of what matters most to people in the United States (and globally), yet it is seldom evoked in narratives about governance, either pro-democracy or pro-authoritarian. As such, it presents an opportunity for a pro-democracy narrative to connect to something that matters deeply in people’s lives.

Hover over each value to find out more:

Freedom

Connects with the broad range of freedoms that are important to people, including the right to think and speak freely, to act and live their lives, to worship as they choose, to make choices, and to express their views about their government without fear of reprisal. Connects to core democratic principles, including freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, etc.

A 2025 survey conducted by Prime Group on behalf of Metropolitan Group found that across the political spectrum, 90% of respondents rate freedom as the central value most core to democracy.

A 2023 survey conducted by PACE Funders found that the word “freedom” is deeply resonant with Americans.

According to the Pew Research Center, in a 2020 survey of 35 countries, 64% of people believe that it is “very important” to have free speech and press freedom; 59% of respondents said that freedom on the internet was “very important”; and 55% of respondents said that it was “very important” for human rights groups to be able to operate freely.

Fairness

Reflects the ideas of justice and equality, that everyone receives the same benefits or opportunities and is treated fairly under the law regardless of position, power, or identity.

In a Pew Research Center survey across 34 countries, 82% of respondents said that having a fair judiciary was “very important to have in their country.”

A 2025 survey conducted by Prime Group on behalf of Metropolitan Group found that across the political spectrum, 74% of respondents identified fairness as a core value of democracy.

Fearlessness/Strength

A reflection of strength (a key global value) and the courage and bravery that people like to associate with the American spirit, and also a direct refutation of the fear-based appeals that authoritarians employ in their narratives and messaging.

A 2025 survey conducted by Prime Group on behalf of Metropolitan Group found that across the political spectrum, 86% of respondents identified fearlessness/strength as an important or core value of democracy.

Representation

Conveys a sense of inclusion (political and communal), having personal agency or a voice, and actively participating in their governance.

According to a 2020 Pew Research Center study, 65% of people in a global survey said that it was very important to have regular elections, and 67% of respondents agreed that “voting gives people like them some say about how the government runs things.”

A 2025 survey conducted by Prime Group on behalf of Metropolitan Group found that across the political spectrum, 74% of respondents identified representation as a core value of democracy.

Responsibility

Connects with the widely held belief that freedom is not just a right, but also comes with the responsibility to respect and help protect the freedom of others. Also reflects the importance of being civically active, people’s sense of duty, and the responsibilities of governments to their people and of people to participate in democracy.

A 2025 survey conducted by Prime Group on behalf of Metropolitan Group found that across the political spectrum, 72% of respondents identified responsibility as a core value of democracy.

Safety/Security

Defined in a broad sense in terms of personal security and safety, economic security, and cultural/identity security.

A 2025 survey conducted by Prime Group on behalf of Metropolitan Group found that across the political spectrum, 72% of respondents identified safety/security as a core value of democracy.

Honesty

Associated with truth, trust, trustworthiness, openness, and transparency, and often triggered in contrast to concerns about corruption, accountability, and disinformation.

A 2025 survey conducted by Prime Group on behalf of Metropolitan Group found that across the political spectrum, 73% of respondents say honesty is a core value of democracy.

Prosperity

Conveys benefits for the individual and the community. These benefits could be economic, such as jobs and increased family income, or could be related to more macroeconomic progress for a community or country, such as economic growth.

A 2025 survey conducted by Prime Group on behalf of Metropolitan Group found that across the political spectrum, 85% of respondents rate prosperity as an important or core value of democracy.

According to a 2023 survey, 83% of respondents said achieving financial prosperity is important to them, and 86% said working towards financial prosperity is a worthwhile goal.

Family/Belonging

Connects people to their most important relationships, including family, kinship, and community; what they want for their children; and their sense of connection to, and responsibility for, each other.

According to WVS research, approximately 90% of respondents answered that the value of “family” was very important in their lives.

A 2025 Gallup poll found that “family” tops the list of core values identified by Americans, with 49% identifying it as being one of their three top values.

A 2025 survey conducted by Prime Group on behalf of Metropolitan Group found that across the political spectrum, 87% of respondents said that family is an important or core value of democracy, and 84% identified belonging as an important or core value of democracy.