UN study reveals

More and more people support anti-democrats

The UN headquarters in New York City

(Bild: JHVEPhoto - stock.adobe.com)

More and more people around the world have no problem with politicians who undermine democracy, according to a new UN report. Although nine out of ten people in the world would generally approve of popular rule, "for the first time ever, more than half of the world's population" support heads of state and government who disregard democratic rules, the UN development agency UNDP announced in its Human Development Report on Wednesday.

Over 50 percent of those surveyed for the study responded that a strong leader who "does not have to worry about parliament and elections" is either "very good" or "rather good". The German UNDP chief Achim Steiner speaks of a "democracy paradox" in this context. The vast majority of people want to live in a democracy, but at the same time are satisfied with parties and political leaders who question its basic principles. "In a way, this is a trend that goes far beyond a global North or South trend," says Steiner. Rather, it is a development that can be observed all over the world. Steiner warned that it could lead to the collapse of governments.

From 1999 to 2004, the number of those who supported anti-democrats was still below 40 percent. After that, it rose continuously.

Many citizens suffer from fear of the future
Steiner also sees a growing divide between citizens and the state in this context, as well as a fear of the future. "And that is extremely worrying, because when the majority of our citizens are afraid of what comes next and of the future, it creates an environment in which fear dominates political discourse." One key to improving the situation lies in calming national debates and strengthening the institutions involved in democratic decision-making.

Apart from the "democracy paradox", the UN study found that global development progress is uneven. The Human Development Index (HDI) had reached a new global record high in 2023 - but while rich countries had made strong gains, around half of poor countries remained below their pre-pandemic level of development.