"The UK is on a par with Russia for confidence in how the political system is functioning, according to a global survey."
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Apr 5 '23, 16:54
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UK on a par with Russia for confidence in political system, study suggests
The UK ranks among the lowest of the countries analysed and is similar to satisfaction levels in Russia (16%), Mexico (17%) and Nigeria (15%).
Faye Brown
Political reporter @fayebrownSky
Thursday 6 April 2023 00:47, UK
Just one in six (17%) of the British public who were polled said they were highly satisfied with how democracy is working - putting us in the bottom half of the international league tables.
Double this proportion (32%) said they are dissatisfied, according to the analysis by the Policy Institute at King's College London (KCL).
The research was carried out as part of the World Values Survey (WVS) - one of the largest and most widely used academic social surveys in the world.
The UK data was collected in 2022 - a tumultuous year which saw Boris Johnson ousted as prime minister following partygate and sleaze scandals, and Liz Truss take the helm for just 44 days before resigning.
The UK ranks among the lowest of the countries analysed and is similar to satisfaction levels in Russia (16%), Mexico (17%) and Nigeria (15%).
It sits far behind the likes of Norway (41%), Canada (36%) and Germany (36%) - but comes higher than France (13%), the US (12%) and Italy (12%).
Among UK nations, Northern Ireland, where there has been a collapse of power sharing, is by far the least satisfied with how its political system is functioning - with just 8% saying they are highly satisfied and 56% dissatisfied.
However, there is no evidence people in the UK are tired of the principle of democracy, researchers said, with support for that rising in recent decades.
The data showed 90% of Britons think democracy is a very or fairly good way of governing the country - up from 76% in 1999.
Professor Bobby Duffy, director of the KCL Policy Institute, said: "Support for the idea of democracy is extremely high and rising in the UK - but we are much less convinced by how it is working for us right now.
"The vast majority say that democracy is a good idea and important, but only 17% of us are highly satisfied with how our political system is currently functioning, putting us in the bottom half of international league tables."
However, Prof Duffy said there is "increasing support for expert roles in national decision-making, which is now at record levels in the UK".
He said this was an important reminder of what many voters value, despite a narrative that politics is becoming increasingly extreme.
He added: "It's easy to caricature the UK as drifting to identity-driven politics and sympathy for authoritarian models of government, but the reality shown in these long-term trends and international comparisons is we're still committed to democracy and recognise the importance of expertise."
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