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Democracy
Three-quarters of Australians (74%) see democracy as preferable to any other kind of government, equalling a record high in 2022. The number who say ‘in some circumstances, a non-democratic government can be preferable’ fell three points to 15%. One in ten Australians (10%) continue to say ‘it doesn’t matter what kind of government we have’.
There has been a longstanding age gap in response to this question. Younger Australians (67% of those aged 18–44) are less likely than older Australians (80% of those aged over 45) to say democracy is preferable to any other kind of government — a 13-point gap. The persistence of an age gap since 2012 indicates preference for democracy is associated with a stage of life rather than a particular generation.
When asked to name one country or territory that comes closest to their ideal form of government, people most frequently mention Australia (24%). The next most named country is New Zealand (9%), followed by the United States (7%). Many Australians appear to idealise the governance systems of Nordic countries, with Sweden (5%), Norway (4%), Denmark and Finland (both 3%) all appearing in the top ten. Singapore (4%) and Japan (3%) were the only two Asian countries in the top ten.
Democracy appears to be a common feature among these countries, with eight of the top ten most frequently named countries also rated as ‘full democracies’ in The Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2024 Democracy Index, while the United States and Singapore were rated as ‘flawed democracies’.
Respondents who selected ‘in some circumstances, a non-democratic government can be preferable’ in the previous question, most frequently name Singapore (12%) as closest to their ideal.
In a period that saw tech billionaire and X owner Elon Musk assume unprecedented powers in the Trump administration, and a ban on social media for children under 16 take effect in Australia, debates about the reach and impact of social media on society are only growing.
Seven in ten Australians (70%) think social media has a more negative than positive impact on democracy. One-fifth (21%) say it has a more positive impact, while only 8% say social media has no impact at all on democracy.
