In a world subjected for several years to the rise of authoritarian regimes and political figures, democracy is still a cardinal value for an overwhelming majority of the inhabitants of 30 countries spread over the five continents which were surveyed, reveals an international survey unveiled Tuesday .
But the solidity of this adhesion remains fragile despite everything, due, among other things, to the temptation expressed within a section of the young generation, those aged 16-35 to be precise, to experience or to accept political options leaning towards authoritarianism to resolve the problems of the present, indicates the vast measurement of opinion carried out between last May and July by the Open Society Foundation.
Numbers ? On average, 71% of people aged 56 and over believe that a democratic system is preferable to any other form of government. A statement which only garners the support of 57% of those under 36, we can read in the report. A difference of 14 points.
In the process, a little more than a quarter (26%) of those aged 56 and over say they are in favor of a strong leader who would no longer bother with a Parliament or electoral institutions to govern, compared to 35% of those aged 18-35. .
“These results suggest that trust in democracy may be weakening from one generation to the next, even though most people around the world still have faith [en ce régime], summarizes Mark Malloch Brown, president of the Foundation. This should not surprise us. Today’s youth have grown up and been politicized with the emergence of multiple crises, such as climate change, economic change, technological change, and in the midst of growing geopolitical unrest, reinforcing these crises one by means of the other. , to degrees never seen before,” he wrote in his report.
This should not surprise us. Today’s youth have grown up and been politicized with the emergence of multiple crises, such as climate change, economic change, technological change, and in the midst of growing geopolitical unrest, reinforcing these crises one by means of the other. , to degrees never seen before.
Despite everything, in all of the 30 countries whose residents’ hearts have just been surveyed, 86% of those questioned say they want to live in a democratic state, a political framework which, according to them, still has the potential to “generate solutions to common problems.
Ironically, this confidence in democracy is expressed slightly less strongly in countries like the United States (80%), the United Kingdom (82%) or France (83%), although they are historical democratic models, that in states where this same democracy is either non-existent or mistreated by authoritarian regimes, such as Ethiopia (96%), Turkey (96%), China (95%) or even Italy (91%) , where the last presidential election brought Giorgia Meloni’s post-fascist political party to power.
In Canada – which is not part of this survey – a similar survey conducted by Angus Reid last year highlighted significant support for democracy: 86%, the average level established in the report of the Open Society Foundation.
What’s more, barely 16% of Canadians said they were comfortable with the idea of a strong leader who would decide to circumvent electoral rules as much as legislative power, a measure which confirms a global trend against authoritarian regimes .
Despite their rise, these regimes are perceived overall as the least inclined to deliver what citizens need or even as the least effective in solving several problems of the present. Globally, 36% of respondents believe that this type of government can keep crime levels low, but only 16% believe that authoritarianism could reverse climate change or win wars ( 20%), indicates the international report.
In fact, the majority of respondents (69%) doubt the ability of strong power to grow their economy, create jobs (73%), protect the environment (77%), and build schools and hospitals (78%) or roads and bridges (79%).
“This makes sense, because the facts belie the supposed dynamism and resilience of an authoritarian government,” writes Mark Malloch Brown, while pointing to the presidency of populist Jair Bolsonaro, which, in Brazil, has led to disaster of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Amazon rainforest, or even that of the dictator Vladimir Putin, who put himself in a “quagmire” in Ukraine.
“Each case demonstrates the weakness of leadership anchored in a closed society at odds with verification bodies and adequate checks and balances,” he adds.
The latest report from Freedom House, released earlier this year, confirmed the decline in civil liberties and political rights across the world for the 17e year in a row.
For 10 years, the United States has also entered the dark list of countries where these rights and freedoms continue to show a “worrying decline”, according to the organization, alongside India, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Poland , Russia and Haiti.
Worse, in 2023, the country of Joe Biden and Donald Trump was placed on a par with Panama and Romania, according to the ranking established by Freedom House, far behind 59 other countries, including other G7 democracies, such as Canada, which sits at the top of the list of countries where freedom is the best, just behind New Zealand, Norway, Finland and Sweden.
“Democracy as an ideal continues to have significant appeal around the world,” summarizes Mark Malloch Brown. But it must continue to demonstrate that it is an effective regime that produces better and concrete results. »And above all tangible results for the majority, who, for the moment, still continue to believe in them, concludes the Foundation.