The concept of a democratic government has changed since Ancient Greece. Virtually no country has a system where the people have a direct voice in government decision-making. Representatives make decisions. However, in many instances, the people do change laws as in the recent case of a referendum in Ireland, which legalizes some abortions.
The worry that political freedoms around the world are under attack and that democracy is losing strength is a valid concern. However, it is interesting that where we hear that phrase “democracy is dying,” it often comes from the out-of-power political opposition.
If the classic definition of democracy is no longer valid, how do we measure democracy? Abraham Lincoln gave us the “government of the people, by the people, for the people” definition. Perhaps there is a clear way to measure if a nation is a democracy: Ask the people.
The Democracy Perception Index is a research project conducted by Dalia Research, in collaboration with the Alliance of Democracies and Rasmussen Global consultancy. Its 2018 report is based on a global survey of 125,000 respondents in 50 countries, conducted from June 6 to 18.
Four questions were asked, starting with “Do you feel that the voice of people like you matters in politics?” Fifty-four percent of citizens in “free” countries said their voices “rarely” or “never” mattered, compared with 46 percent in “non-free” states. In other words, the people were less inclined to believe in their “voice” in those countries considered to be “democracies.”
In Japan 74 percent of the people felt that their voice did not matter,
followed by Poland (63 percent) and France (62 percent). The United States came in with 49 percent.
Perhaps contrary to the opinion of certain local groups, Filipinos were at the top, saying their voices mattered, with only 41 percent answering rarely or never. Mexico, ranking 73 in freedom, and Egypt, ranking 155 in freedom, also were at the top of the list.
Having a voice is one thing, but “Do you feel that your government is acting in your interest?” Eighty percent of the people in Kenya said “rarely” or worse. But, showing why the global populist movement is strong, more than 60 percent felt the same way in the following developed democracies: The US (66 percent), Germany, Australia, Canada, Japan, Sweden, Singapore and France.
In the Philippines, 55 percent felt that the government rarely or never acted in their interests, about the same as in Mexico and Taiwan.
About half of the world—including in the Philippines (52 percent)—do not feel free to share political opinions in public if other people disagree with them. Peer pressure creates a form of censorship. This is particularly true in Singapore (66 percent) and even Indonesia (61 percent). Yet, in Vladimir Putin’s supposed “dictatorship,” only 26 percent might hesitate speaking out.
Finally, “Do you feel like the news you read or watch gives you balanced and neutral information?” Only 44 percent of Filipinos answered rarely or never, believing there is enough unbiased news reporting in the nation. India also believes it has a neutral press. Sixty percent of Americans said they rarely or never get neutral and balanced information.
The basic conclusion is that the global public does not think that their governments are delivering core democratic benefits. The political changes of the past few years are probably not finished. In the Philippines people feel more power and control with the process of democracy and are generally more pleased with the results from their government than the rest of the world. According to the people, “democracy is healthy” in the Philippines.