Discovering new dimensions of democracy through a global survey

Analysts, from the Open Society Foundation has recently undertaken another global survey pertaining to some diverse dimensions of democracy that have been emerging in different parts of the world. There was a demographic survey about how the population according to the different age groups felt about prevailing democratic practices. The survey has reflected on the positive and negative aspects of the state of democracy worldwide. As in the past, the reflections have not all been simple and are anticipated to create controversy.
Their findings, as in the past, have been termed Open Society Barometer and are considered one of the most broad-based studies of global public opinion on human rights and democracy across 30 countries- including the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, China, Brazil, Japan, Turkey, Russia, South Africa, and India.
The survey is based on queries related to attitudes, concerns, and hopes of over 5.5 billion people worldwide. It paints a surprising picture of a generational shift where young people in certain African countries are beginning to lose faith in democracy to deliver on their priorities in life. This is apparently happening, according to the survey, in countries where there have been military take-overs-- as in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Gabon. According to this survey it has also triggered the question as to whether multi-party democracy is on the retreat in Africa.
The survey also finds that
(a) Democracy remains popular across every region of the globe, but the poll found lower levels of support among young people, as the world faces multiple challenges-from poverty and inequality, to climate change-and patchy evidence that democracies are not always improving the lives of their citizens;
(b) 57 per ent of young people (aged 18 to 36) in some African countries believe democracy is preferable to any form of government, compared to 71 per cent older respondents; while 42 per cent of young people are supportive of military rule, compared to 20 per cent of older respondents (aged 56-plus);
(c) Overwhelming majorities support human rights, with an average of 72 per cent of respondents identifying them as a "force for good in the world;" and
(d) 70 per cent of respondents around the world are anxious that climate change might have a negative impact on them and their livelihoods in the next year.
The findings also interestingly include-
(a) the view that people in general support democracy and only 20 per cent consider authoritarian countries more capable than democracies of delivering "what citizens want." It has also emerged that at the international level, two-thirds (66 per cent) of respondents feel that democracies contribute more to global cooperation. Respondents also believe firmly in human rights, with an overwhelming 95 per cent rejecting the idea that it's ok for governments to violate the rights of those who look different from themselves;
(b) that as people feel the weight of multiple crises, over half (53 per cent) of respondents think their country is headed in the wrong direction. In this context the report has suggested that those aged between 18 and 35 appear to be a bit, sceptical of democracy;
(c) Majorities in 21 of the countries polled fear that political unrest could lead to violence in the next year. Fear was highest in South Africa and Kenya (79 per cent), Colombia (77 per cent), Nigeria (75 per cent), Senegal (74 per cent), and Argentina and Pakistan (both 73 per cent). Large majorities in some high-income countries also share this worry, including two-thirds of respondents in the United States and France. 42 per cent of respondents also expressed the belief that the laws of their country do not always provide for them necessary safety. This was particularly felt in Latin America, with significant majorities in every country: Brazil (74 per cent), Argentina (73 per cent), Colombia (65 per cent), and Mexico (60 per cent);
(d) Almost half of respondents (49 per cent) said they had struggled to feed themselves at least once a day in the last year. Such a view came not only from Bangladesh but also from the United States (52 per cent of respondents). It has also been revealed that such an experience had also taken place in Sri Lanka (85 per cent), Turkey and Kenya (both 73 per cent); and
(e) that the climate crisis is a high priority for citizens across low, middle, and high-income countries. Climate change was considered the top global issue by 32 per cent of people in India and in Italy, followed by Germany (28 per cent), Egypt (27 per cent), Mexico (27 per cent), France (25 per cent), and Bangladesh (25 per cent). Anxiety that climate change will personally affect respondents and their livelihoods in the next year was also felt by 70 per cent of those surveyed, and was markedly high in Bangladesh (90), Turkey (85 per cent), Ethiopia (83 per cent), Kenya (83 per cent), and India (82 per cent). It was the lowest in China (45 per cent), Russia (48 per cent), and the UK (54 per cent).
Asked for his reaction about the findings, Andreas Bummel, Executive Director of Democracy Without Borders, appears to have responded to more about what is currently taking place in Africa. He observed "It is good news that a huge majority of people say they consider it important to live in a democracy". At the same time, much less say they believe democracy is preferable to any other kind of government. This is a contradiction that requires more analysis, he pointed out. "It is a warning that young people appear to be less convinced of democratic government. It must be understood better why this is the case," he added. The state of civic education and better ways for political participation may be among the issues to be looked at.
Similarly, commenting on the findings, Mark Malloch-Brown, President of the Open Society Foundation has remarked, "our findings are both sobering and alarming. People around the world still want to believe in democracy. However, generation-by-generation, that faith is fading as doubts grow about its ability to deliver concrete improvements to their lives. That has to change."
It would, however, be important to note that there have been some other significant findings which are difficult to disagree with, such as--
(a) across the globe, corruption is considered the chief concern for people at a national level, with an average of 23 per cent saying it is the most important issue facing their countries. Countries in Africa and Latin America, such as Ghana (45 per cent), South Africa and Nigeria (both 44 per cent), Colombia (37 per cent), and Mexico (36 per cent) held the same view. On the other hand, in France and the UK, corruption is viewed as the main concern by just 7 per cent of people and in Germany by only 6 per cent;
(b) poverty and inequality rank the highest (21 per cent) among the issues that most directly impact people personally. This holds true in Senegal (the smallest economy surveyed) as well as the United States (the largest). Moreover, a majority (69 per cent) believe that economic inequality between countries is a bigger challenge this year than the last. This view emerged particularly from respondents in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East;
(c) migration is highly visible but of low concern. It was interestingly revealed that just 7 per cent of respondents said migration was their biggest concern at the global and national level. The survey also found that two-thirds (66 per cent) of respondents want to see more safe and legal routes for migrants; and
(d) people believe that a fairer international system would be more effective. 61 per cent of those surveyed expressed the view that low-income countries should have a greater say in global decision-making-though, predictably, lower-income regions are more enthusiastic than Europe and the United States on this front. It was also interestingly affirmed by 75 per cent of the respondents that high-income countries should increase their overseas aid, donate more money to the World Bank to support lower income countries (68 per cent) and lead the way in reducing emissions (79 per cent).
One needs to also refer to another interesting finding. It relates to China. A large number of respondents expressed the belief China's growing influence in all likelihood will be a force for good. However, a sharp contrast was demonstrated between the enthusiasm of lower income countries like Pakistan (76 per cent), Ethiopia (72 per cent), and Egypt (71 per cent), and the overwhelming negativity of high-income democracies, where only small minorities registered positivity about the rise of China, as in the case of Japan (3 per cent), Germany (14 per cent), Ukraine (15 per cent), and the UK (16 per cent). Somewhere in the middle, a quarter of Americans answered positively, while 48 per cent felt it would be negative.
It would be appropriate at this juncture to conclude by stating that the report did not appear to have stressed on transparency, accountability and resilience within the paradigm of governance. These aspects are critically important within the matrix of good governance as significant parameters of democratic values and belief.

Muhammad Zamir, a former Ambassador, is an analyst specialised in foreign affairs, right to information and good governance.
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