42% of young people between 18 and 35 years old in the world say they are in favor of military regimes

Can democracy keep its promises? That’s the question the Open Society Foundations’ latest barometer, released on September 12, attempted to answer. Because if overall trust in the fundamental principles of democracy persists, ” coexists with profound doubts about its practical application and its impact in the real world » specifies the report. And this especially among the younger segments of the population.

Young people no longer believe in the democratic system

As reported by our British colleagues at CaretakerThis large international survey, conducted in 30 countries, reveals that 86% of respondents would prefer to live in a democratic state compared to just 20% of respondents who think authoritarian regimes are better able to provide” what the citizens want “.

However, these figures vary drastically from one generation to the next. In fact, only 57% of respondents aged between 18 and 35 believe that democracy is preferable to any other form of government (compared to 71% of respondents aged 56 and over). AND 42% of young people say they are in favor of a military regimecompared to only 20% of older respondents.

Worse still: among the young people interviewed, more than a third (35%) believe that a “ strong leader » anyone who does not organize elections or consult Parliament is ” a good way to govern a country “.

Despite these chilling results, the investigation highlights “ strong support for human rights ,” with 85-95% of respondents (across all regions and income levels) agreeing that it is unacceptable for governments to violate individual rights based on appearance, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity. However, democracy does not appear to be an essential tool for guaranteeing these rights.

Lack of trust in politicians

The survey also shows that in countries where nearly half the population (49%) say they had difficulty feeding themselves at least once in the past year, democracy is seen as failing to deliver on its promises.

As national and international crises multiply, respondents are most concerned about poverty and growing inequality (20% of respondents), the climate crisis (20%) and corruption (18%). More than half of those surveyed (53%) believe their country is going in the wrong direction and around a third say politicians are not working in their best interests.

France is also one of the most suspicious countries in this regard: only 15% of respondents say they trust their political representatives to protect their interests. (compared to 30% of the world average).

Do you like our articles? You’ll love our newsletters! Sign up for free on this page.