India sees big surge in support for strong leader governance, says Pew report

Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (File photo)

As elections loom in various nations, the charm of representative democracy, a fundamental pillar of global governance, is facing headwinds, as per a recent Pew Research Center survey released on February 28. Although representative democracy is widely regarded as the preferred model of government, with a median of 77 percent across 24 democratic countries labelling it as "good," there is a noticeable discontent with its effectiveness in practice. A median of 59 percent expressed dissatisfaction with the functioning of democracy within their own countries, indicating a rising sense of disillusionment, as emphasised by pollsters.

The poll comes amid a significant year for the world's democracies, as elections are slated in more than 50 nations, collectively representing half of the global population. Notably, this includes the Lok Sabha elections slated for April-May, and the November presidential election in the United States.

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The voting comes against a backdrop of mounting endorsement for authoritarian governance models. According to the survey, support for a "strong leader" empowered to make decisions free from judicial or legislative oversight has surged in eight of the surveyed nations since 2017.

Support for a strong leader has also saw a notable uptick in India, positioning the nation as the country with the highest level of endorsement for such a style of governance. Sixty-seven percent of respondents viewed it favourably, reflecting a significant increase of 12 percent since Pew last posed the question in 2017.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi commands an impressive 79 percent favourability rating, securing the third position globally. He follows Indonesian President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, who holds the highest rating at 89 percent, and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who stands at 82 percent.

Across Europe, individuals with favourable views towards right-wing populist parties are notably more inclined to support authoritarianism. In Germany, for instance, 37 percent of those who hold a favourable opinion of the Alternative for Germany party (AfD) express support for these non-democratic modes of governance. This figure starkly contrasts with the 13 percent of individuals who harbour an unfavorable view of the AfD.

Support for authoritarian leadership tended to be most pronounced among individuals with lower levels of education and income, as well as those leaning towards the ideological right. The Pew survey indicated that poorer nations exhibited higher levels of support for autocratic regimes, including military rule.

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Furthermore, approximately one-third of residents in eight of the so-called "middle-income" countries, such as Mexico, India, Indonesia, and South Africa, expressed backing for having the military in control of governance. Nevertheless, military rule remains the least favoured form of government overall, with only a median of 15 percent expressing support for it across the surveyed countries.

The poll revealed that support for a strong leader experienced the most substantial increase in Mexico, surging by 23 percent since 2017. Also, during the same period, Mexico was among the three countries where support for democracy also rose, with Brazil and Poland being the other two nations.

The US emerges as an anomaly across different metrics, notably in its tendency to favour autocratic systems. Despite its status as the wealthiest nation under scrutiny, the US displayed levels of support for autocratic structures that, while not constituting a majority endorsement, exceeded those of more than half of the other countries assessed in the survey. Notably, 15 percent of respondents voiced backing for military rule, while 26 percent endorsed a strong leader system.