Subscribe to The Informer for monthly expert analysis, and to Events for advance notice of visiting world leaders and distinguished guests.
You may unsubscribe from Lowy Institute newsletters at any time. For information on our privacy practices and how to unsubscribe, see our Privacy Policy.
Subscribe to The Informer for monthly expert analysis, and to Events for advance notice of visiting world leaders and distinguished guests.
You may unsubscribe from Lowy Institute newsletters at any time. For information on our privacy practices and how to unsubscribe, see our Privacy Policy.
Attitudes to democracy
About the author
Natasha Kassam
Natasha Kassam was Director of the Lowy Institute's Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program from 2019 to 2022, directing the annual Lowy Institute Poll and researching China’s politics, Taiwan, and Australia-China relations.
In 2022, Australians’ preference for democracy has reached a record high. Three-quarters of Australians (74%) say ‘democracy is preferable to any other kind of government’, an increase of nine points from 2019. One in five (18%) say that ‘in some circumstances, a non-democratic government can be preferable’. In an election year in Australia, only 7% say ‘for someone like me, it doesn’t matter what kind of government we have’, the lowest level in the history of the Lowy Institute Poll.
The gap between older and younger Australians on the importance of democracy — prominent in previous Lowy Institute polling — appears to have almost disappeared. In 2022, seven in ten Australians aged 18–29 (70%) express a preference for democracy, compared with 74% of Australians aged over 30. In previous years, this gap has been as large as 28 points.
