Observation
Three-quarters of Australians (74%) see democracy as preferable to any other kind of government, equalling a record high in 2022. The number who say ‘in some circumstances, a non-democratic government can be preferable’ fell three points to 15%. One in ten Australians (10%) continue to say ‘it doesn’t matter what kind of government we have’.
There has been a longstanding age gap in response to this question. Younger Australians (67% of those aged 18–44) are less likely than older Australians (80% of those aged over 45) to say democracy is preferable to any other kind of government — a 13-point gap. The persistence of an age gap since 2012 indicates preference for democracy is associated with a stage of life rather than a particular generation.