The Pew Research Center surveyed the citizens of many countries in 2023 to gauge how many prefer authoritarian rulers to multi-party democracy. The numbers choosing dictators will dismay democrats. In the Global South: India (85%), Indonesia (77%), South Africa (66%) and Brazil (57%). In the West: the United Kingdom (37%) and the United States (32%), which are significant numbers too. China and Russia were not surveyed.
Citizens of democratic countries have lost trust in their governments’ economic policies. Average incomes may be rising but the very rich are becoming much richer, faster. Large corporations and financial institutions are compelling governments to set the rules of the game in their favour by reducing taxes for them, emasculating labour institutions, and exploiting the natural environment for their profit.
Moreover, the growth of the global economy and human population has brought humanity to the brink. Scientists predict that the overuse of fossil energy for fuelling modern consumptive lifestyles will make life on earth impossible beyond this century. Water, fundamental for life, is also running out. India is among the most water stressed large countries in the world.
