Thanks for asking. Let me start with something I am quite confident about claiming: the world is getting markedly less violent over time - less war, less murder, less genocide, less animal abuse, etc. The data supporting this claim is compelling. There was a Christian movement that started around the end of the 19th Century called the Christian social justice movement it became a very large movement worldwide, it's fundamental belief was that the world was getting better and that Christians could make a Christian Eutopian society. That movement fell apart after World War one and Two.
I concede that I have not carefully looked at available data re other aspects of human life. However, there are reasons to expect the world is indeed getting better: Less violent, really Look at what is going on in the Middle East with the Muslim Caliphate. Every Continent on this world is at war somewhere but Antarctica.
1. Technology greatly improves life overall, especially relative to healthcare. On the other hand, it has spawned global warming which could be disastrous; Technology has devastated the Job market for almost a billion people.
2. It seems pretty clear to me that, in the west at least we are making progress at becoming more humane. Do you realize that public torture was common in Europe a few hundred years ago. Now, it is unheard of. And if someone so much as slaps their cat, public outrage ensues. Donald Trump aside, I also think racism is clearly on the way out. I suggest it is fairly clear that, on the while, humanity is getting kinder and gentler. As far a government being better that may be the case but we have a lot of atrocities going on in the general public, things that were unheard just decades ago.
3. The media enormously distorts and bears a huge chunk of the blame for people thinking the world is getting worse. There is a well-known phenomena in psychology whereby we exaggerate the likelihood of things we hear about. Terrorism is an example. I believe an American is more likely to die in the bathtub than at the hands of a terrorist. Yet people greatly magnify the risk of being a victim of terror.
We have always had yellow journalism in one way or another for Centuries.
Just some thoughts.