The number of people calling for policy change online has increased, according to petition website Change.org, which has seen 81% more signatures this year than last
Findings from Change.org revealed that more than 110 million people worldwide have supported campaigns since coronavirus took hold of the world in January
In addition, 80% more petitions were launched, and in 10 countries the number of petitions created in the past seven months doubled compared to the same period in 2019
India witnessed a dramatic spike in the number of coronavirus-related petitions too, with more than 11,300 created so far this year
Women used the platform to fight against domestic violence in India
One petition, signed by 35,000 people, called on the government to include a panic button for domestic abuse victims on its Covid-19 app.
1. South Africa is the leading emerging country in a new era of digital activism
2. User growth on Change.org has increased across all 25 countries, at an average of nearly 33%
3. More than 10,473,233 people signed at least one Covid-19 petition that was later declared a victory
4. The top ten countries with the highest civic engagement index are South Africa, Japan, Canada, United States, Peru, United Kingdom, Malaysia, South Korea, Philippines and New Zealand