In 2019, support for democracy is stable, with 65% of Australians saying
that ‘democracy is preferable to any other kind of government’. One in
five (22%) say that ‘in some circumstances, a non-democratic government
can be preferable’, while 12% say that ‘for someone like me, it doesn’t
matter what kind of government we have’.
The gap between older and younger Australians on the importance of
democracy – which has been striking in previous Lowy Institute Polls –
appears to be narrowing. A majority of Australians aged 18–29 years (55%)
in 2019 express a preference for democracy, compared with 68% of
Australians aged over 30. In previous years this gap has been as large as
28 points. However, there is still a significant proportion (30%) of 18–29
year olds who say that ‘in some circumstances, a non-democratic government
can be preferable’.