Fewer than half of young Australians believe democracy is always preferable to other forms of government, as trust in institutions wanes, new research has found. Source: SBS News.
Recent national disasters such as floods and fires exposed pressures on community infrastructure and exposed patterns of exclusion, according to a new Australian National University report.
While Australians are broadly supportive of democracy in principle, they are less satisfied with its outcomes, the report released yesterday found.
Just under 44 per cent of Australians aged between 18 and 24 agreed democracy was always the preferred option, compared to almost 90 per cent of people aged 75 and over, according to the research.
Age wasn’t the only indication of support. Almost two-thirds of people under 34 with a university degree supported democracy, dropping to one in five for those who hadn’t completed high school or had non-university tertiary qualifications.
“Once age is controlled for, education is positively associated with democratic support, indicating clear social polarisation by education,” the report states.
Females were less supportive overall, while religious people were more supportive.
People who believed there was a fair distribution of income in Australia were overwhelmingly supportive of democracy (78 per cent), and this dipped significantly for those who believed it was unfair (59 per cent).
Those experiencing financial strain were less likely to be satisfied with the system of government.
“Perceptions of unfairness and limited opportunity further explain variation in support,” the report noted.
Between two-thirds and three-quarters of respondents were satisfied with how the system of government was working, according to the poll, which was taken between October 2024 and after the May 2025 election.
“This leaves almost one-third of Australians that are either ambivalent towards democracy, or sceptical of its benefits,” the report’s co-author, Nicholas Biddle, said.
The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion following the Bondi terrorist attack will examine strengthening support for democracy, freedom and the rule of law as a key defence to tackling antisemitism and extremist hate.
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Under half of young Australians believe democracy is always a preferable form of government (SBS News)
