A survey suggests that many who live in democracies don’t actually feel like they do.
“No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise,” said Winston Churchill in 1947. “Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” It would seem that most people agree.
Overall, 78% of people believe that democracy is important; around the world, that number ranges from 92% in Greece (the “cradle of democracy”) to 50% in Iran (a “theocratic republic,” according to the Central Intelligence Agency).
However, even 40% of those living in bona fide democracies (those countries classified as “free” by Freedom House) believe that their country is not, in fact, democratic.
