The article discusses the challenges in measuring democratic backsliding and the debate over whether recent global democratic decline is real or an illusion caused by expert bias. It highlights the differences between objective and subjective measures of democracy, emphasizing that democracy is a contested concept with multiple dimensions. V-Dem's expert-based approach is presented as a more comprehensive method for measuring democracy, incorporating both objective and subjective indicators. The authors argue that V-Dem's measures are less prone to systematic bias and that there is little evidence of bad-vibes bias among its experts. They also note that L&M's objective measures fail to capture the full complexity of democracy and may not reflect recent democratic backsliding accurately. The article concludes that there is evidence of recent democratic backsliding, and that V-Dem's measures are more reliable for assessing it. It also emphasizes the importance of conceptual clarity and the need for robust measurement methods in assessing democratic trends.The article discusses the challenges in measuring democratic backsliding and the debate over whether recent global democratic decline is real or an illusion caused by expert bias. It highlights the differences between objective and subjective measures of democracy, emphasizing that democracy is a contested concept with multiple dimensions. V-Dem's expert-based approach is presented as a more comprehensive method for measuring democracy, incorporating both objective and subjective indicators. The authors argue that V-Dem's measures are less prone to systematic bias and that there is little evidence of bad-vibes bias among its experts. They also note that L&M's objective measures fail to capture the full complexity of democracy and may not reflect recent democratic backsliding accurately. The article concludes that there is evidence of recent democratic backsliding, and that V-Dem's measures are more reliable for assessing it. It also emphasizes the importance of conceptual clarity and the need for robust measurement methods in assessing democratic trends.