Although just 42 countries experienced a decline in their democracy last year, one EU state experienced one of the sharpest drops in the ranking. Italy dropped by 12 points, to the 33rd place, in the latest Economist Intelligence Unit Democracy Index. The country was taken to task for the "deep disillusionment" Italians have with their political institutions and the rise of "strongmen". The index looks at the state of democracy, judging countries in five areas: electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, the functioning of government, political participation, and political culture.