This is in the face of often disappointing government performance in the delivery of economic progress, more equitable and accessible social services and improved infrastructure.

The key findings showed that two-thirds (66 per cent) of Africans said they preferred democracy to any other system of governance. Majority of the people (80 per cent) reject one-man rule; 78 per cent reject one-party rule, while 66 per cent say ‘no’ to military rule.

However, across 30 countries, the survey which had consistently been conducted over the past decade, support for democracy had declined by seven percentage points, including 29 points in South Africa and 23 points in Mali.

Report

The report which was launched in Accra yesterday as part of the 25th anniversary of Afrobarometer, a non-profit organisation, is titled African insights 2024 Democracy at risk - The people's perspective.

The report is the first in what would be an annual series on high priority topics. It distills findings from data spanning more than a decade, including the latest round of nationally representative surveys in 39 countries, representing the views of more than three-fourth of the continent's population.

The data collected between 2021 and 2023, involved 40,000 to 50,000 respondents who were 18 years and above. The report further indicated that support for democracy as a system of government was more resilient to economic and social deficiencies.

Where there was decline in support for democracy, they were most closely linked to adverse changes in political performance, such as declining election quality, increasing levels of corruption, and failure to promote the rule of law.

Restoration of faith

The report further indicated that given the importance of citizens support for the survival of a democratic project, the findings underscored the centrality of restoring faith in African governments’ ability to deliver accountable democratic governance.

It added that deepening citizens’ dissatisfaction with how democracy was performing, was strongly associated with perceived declines in both socio-economic and political performance.

But it said support for democracy as a system of government was more resilient to economic and social deficiencies. “Where we see declines in support for democracy, they are most closely linked to adverse changes in political performance, such as declining election quality, increasing levels of corruption and failure to promote the rule of law.

“Given the importance of citizens’ support for the survival of a democratic project, these findings underscore the centrality of restoring faith in African governments’ ability to deliver accountable democratic governance,” the findings said.

In each of the countries the survey was collected, between 1,200 and 2,400 people were interviewed with margins of errors being +/-3 per cent and +/-2 per cent, respectively.

Significance

The World Bank's Africa Region Chief Economist, Dr Andrew Dabalen, said data was the currency of information and knowledge, and that it captured the pulse of the population.

He said it made administrative states more effective, responded better to disasters and emergencies, among others.

“African countries need to make deliberate effort to collect more useful data and use it in policy and decision making,” Dr Dabalen added. The Chief Executive Officer of Afrobarometer, Joseph Asunka, who launched the report with the support of others, including the co-founder, Prof. Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi, said the research was the first of reports that would be produced to cover other topics on the continent.