Democracy Futurist Aditi Juneja: Why We Need to Look 50 Years Ahead

The best way to unstick the present is to think further into the future.

In this episode of How We Future, Lisa Kay Solomon sits down with Aditi Juneja, Executive Director of Democracy 2076, to explore how thinking 50 years ahead can break down current obstacles and make seemingly unrealistic hopes feel very possible. Democracy 2076 helps us plan democracy not for the next election cycle, but for the next 50 years.

The conversation reveals how the media we consume shapes our perception of what democracy looks like. From Scandal normalizing election fraud to The West Wing making some viewers think our government is running smoothly, Aditi's research uncovers how TV shows and movies are quietly teaching us civics.

You'll also hear:

• Why a 50-year timeline makes change feel possible instead of impossible
• What happens when people sit down to design constitutional amendments together
• Why we need to give people a menu of possibilities, not just ask them to imagine the future

The episode closes with practical advice for staying resilient in noisy political times. Thank you, Aditi, for joining How We Future!

Links from the episode:

• Democracy 2076
• Report co-authored with Harmony Labs on how media shapes people’s attitudes about the problems facing democracy
• The Long-Term Futures Work of Building a Better Democracy
• A Constitution for 2076
• Pro-Democracy Political Coalitions for 2076