NEW YORK (AP) - A pro-democracy group says the so-called Arab Spring protests are a hopeful sign, but the world actually moved slightly more toward authoritarianism last year.

The Washington-based Freedom House says in a report that Arab Spring has been the biggest challenge to authoritarian governments since the downfall of Soviet Communism.

The report says 26 nations became less free and tolerant last year, while only 12 showed overall improvement, making it the sixth consecutive year in which countries with declines outnumbered those with improvements.

The United States is ranked among the top "free" nations, but the new report warns of a rise in isolationist sentiment.

The think tank characterized China has having a nearly "hysterical campaign of arrests, incommunicado detentions, press censorship, and stepped-up control over the Internet" in reaction to protests in Egypt.