“Democracy is the worst form of government except all the other forms that have been tried from time to time.”
Are these observations made 75 years ago by Winston Churchill, Britain's most famous 20th-century statesman, still relevant today? This is a question worth thinking about at a time when trust in democratic governments is fading and fewer and fewer countries are considered fully democratic.
Comparisons between democracy and “all other forms of government” are conducted by the World Values Survey, Democracy Fund Voter Study Group, Pew Research Center, Economist Intelligence Unit, and the Edelman Trust Barometer.
They all feel public dissatisfaction with democratic political systems and varying levels of trust in others.
Perhaps the brightest red warning light for democratic politicians and their voters comes from the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer, based on more than 36,000 online interviews in 28 countries. No government was as trusted by the public as China (83%), followed by the United Arab Emirates (76%). Indonesia, India and Saudi Arabia were next.
A strong government can foster trust
Even allowing for some skepticism about online surveys in countries with high surveillance efficiency, such as China or the UAE, these results are noteworthy. Edelman, the world's largest public relations firm by revenue, has been conducting surveys for more than 20 years, and China regularly scores high on trust.
Contrary to popular belief, the bottom 10 countries on the Barometer's list of 27 countries include six countries that are part of what is commonly referred to as the “West”, including Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. Their democratic governments do not inspire as much trust as the authoritarian governments that run China and the UAE.
A question arises about the worldview expressed by U.S. President Joe Biden at his first press conference after taking office. “It is clear that this is a battle between the usefulness of democracy and authoritarianism in the 21st century,” he said in March 2021. “We have to prove that democracy works.”
Is that so? Political scientists say that what citizens most expect is stability, prosperity, security, freedom, fair elections, and politicians who work for the public good.
The United States, with leaders who have long portrayed their country as a model for others, is falling short of that desire. The phrase “shining city upon a hill,” often used by the late President Ronald Reagan, is no longer part of the Washington political lexicon.
An assault on the heart of democracy
On January 6, 2021, the shining city lights dimmed even before a violent attempt to block the peaceful transfer of power from presidential election loser Donald Trump to winner Biden. The shocking video of Trump supporters storming the U.S. Capitol did not match the image of an exemplary democracy.
So it's no surprise that a Gallup poll released in July, 18 months after the storming of the Capitol, found that public trust in all three branches of the federal government hit record lows. Only 25% voted for the Supreme Court and 23% for the Supreme Court. For the Presidency and Congress, it is 7%.
Gallup has published an annual survey of citizens' trust in institutions since 1993. This year, an average of 27% expressed trust in 14 major institutions, 3 percentage points lower than the previous low in 2014.
Although these scores are particularly low, public dissatisfaction with democratic political systems exists in many countries. The same goes for adhering to democratic norms. This is supported by a wealth of data collected by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The EIU publishes a thorough annual survey of the state of democracy in more than 160 countries.
The EIU distinguishes between four types of regimes around the world: full democracies, flawed democracies, mixed regimes and authoritarian regimes. The number of fully democratic countries has fallen to 21 in what political scientists call democratic regression. This is only 6.4% of the world's population.
dysfunction of democratic institutions
According to the widely respected EIU definition, a full democracy not only guarantees political freedom and civil liberties, but also a well-functioning government, free and fair elections, an independent and diverse press, an independent judiciary, and an effective system of checks and balances.
Flawed democracies have free and fair elections but weak governance, violations of press freedom, and low levels of political participation. In hybrid countries, the government pressures the opposition, allows widespread corruption, harasses journalists, and the judiciary lacks independence.
The term authoritarian government is self-explanatory. This is relevant for both China and the UAE, two countries that top Edelman's list of countries that inspire trust among their citizens.
So what are the reasons for dissatisfaction with democratic systems?
The debate over this question varies from country to country, as do conceptions of how best to run the country. Some of the alternatives proposed in opinion polls in long-established democracies are surprising. In Italy and France, for example, 17% believe military rule would be good for the country.
The EIU lists dissatisfaction with economic performance and disappointment with the lack of equality and fairness in the political and economic spheres. The EIU said it was “cynicism about the commitment of political elites to representing the interests of their constituents and frustration with their lack of consultation on issues that affect their lives.”
According to the EIU, if not addressed, “attachment to democratic values and institutions will be weakened.”
For those who are dissatisfied with the way democracy works, here is another oft-quoted quote from Churchill: “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.”