European democracy serves as a fundamental value threatened by a wave of national-oriented movements, according to Politico.
Many see national movements as a phenomenon that will pass after next month’s European elections. In the meantime, European democracy will persist over time. However, data from numerous polls show that consistent support for democracy in Europe is already quite low. Many accepted that the demographic crisis constituted an impending doom. Europe is likely to reach a tipping point where undemocratic forms of government not only take root but flourish.
According to the Open Society Foundation’s 2023 global survey, only 38 per cent of Germans aged 18 and over are consistent supporters of democracy. In France, the figure is just 27 per cent. In Italy and Poland, meanwhile, the rate is less than 45 per cent.
The respondent may have agreed that a strong leader who ignores election results and the legitimate authority of parliament is acceptable or that a non-democratic government is preferable to democracy. They may have responded that democracy is a bad way to run their country or that military rule would be a good way to do it.
The lack of support measured in France, Germany, Italy, and Poland in 2023 is not a statistical anomaly. In 2022, polls conducted for European Movement International in nine countries also showed that such support ranged from a low of 22 per cent (in Romania) to a high of 48 per cent (in Finland).
In seven of these nine countries – Greece, Italy, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania and Hungary – consistent support for democracy was 45 per cent or less.
Fundamental European value
Moreover, while the lack of support for what is labelled a fundamental European value is shocking, it is not the most alarming finding revealed by the study. At the same time, most surveys found that young Europeans were far less likely to consistently support democracy than their parents and grandparents.
In Germany, for example, only 21 per cent of Generation Z and Millennials stated that they consistently supported democracy. Among those aged 70 and older, the figure stood at 66 per cent.
Unless this emergency is rectified, it portends a dangerous future for Europe. As these younger Europeans age and thrive among older citizens, core support for democracy across Europe will inevitably fall even lower. This will lead to a more fertile social ecosystem for democratic decline and possible collapse.
The more support for democracy in Europe falls, the more likely it is to be further suppressed by authoritarians seeking power. Without a deeper understanding of the problem, the decline of European democracy is a very likely outcome.
